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

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. swing — music
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rule — a law
  15. fork — in a road
  16. swing — to play on
  17. rule — government
  18. net — after costs
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. mine — for digging
  22. swing — in golf
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. mine — belonging to me

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