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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rule — government
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. season — of the year
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. face — to confront
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rule — a law
  10. cap — a hat
  11. degree — from a university
  12. toast — bread
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cap — of ice
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. face — part of the head
  18. face — to point toward
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. cap — a lid
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. degree — an amount

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