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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 116 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: drill · object · prune · racket · cap · cell · last · rule

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. drill — a practice
  3. cap — of ice
  4. object — to protest
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — army training
  7. object — a thing
  8. rule — a law
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — final
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — a phone
  16. prune — to trim
  17. cap — a lid
  18. last — finally
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rule — government
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. prune — to trim
  23. drill — the tool
  24. cap — a hat

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