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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rule · mate · arm · roll · press · prune · pit · plane

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. rule — government
  3. pit — in a race
  4. rule — a law
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — a friend
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. press — newspapers
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. press — to push
  14. roll — a list
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. mate — to breed
  21. press — a publisher
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. pit — a hole
  24. arm — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com