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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 112 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wave — a sudden rise
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. capital — money
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. capital — a city
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. wake — a trail
  17. rule — government
  18. rule — a law

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