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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. rule — a law
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. game — a match
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. march — music
  10. march — the month
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. scale — in music
  16. rule — government
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. scale — size or range
  19. march — the month
  20. hand — in cards
  21. foot — a measure
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. hand — help

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