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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 120 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. squash — to crush
  6. rule — government
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. squash — the sport
  12. drill — army training
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. track — a song
  20. rule — a law
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. straw — dry grass

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