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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rule — government
  5. pop — music
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ball — a dance
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. drill — the tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pop — to visit
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wind — moving air
  18. rule — a law
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. pop — soda
  21. ball — a great time
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. trunk — of a tree

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