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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: jam · last · lean · rule · degree · game · rush · prune

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. degree — temperature
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. lean — to bend
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. game — a match
  7. rush — hurry
  8. degree — from a university
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. rule — a law
  13. degree — an amount
  14. rule — government
  15. last — final
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. last — finally
  18. game — wild animals
  19. prune — to trim
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. last — to go on
  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