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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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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: pass · prune · rule · fall · swing · net · sharp · chair

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. net — after costs
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. swing — music
  5. rule — a law
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. swing — in golf
  11. net — for catching
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. prune — to trim
  14. chair — a leader
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. rule — government
  18. swing — to play on
  19. fall — to drop
  20. net — in sport
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fall — the season
  24. prune — to trim

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