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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. can — a tin
  3. cold — not warm
  4. bulb — for light
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. land — a country
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rule — government
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — to come down
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — to be able to
  15. can — a tin
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. shower — rain
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. land — ground

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