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

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. roll — a cake
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — in sport
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. present — there
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rule — government
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bear — the animal
  21. present — a gift
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. present — the time now
  24. bear — the animal

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