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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  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. staff — a stick
  2. bay — a part of the sea
  3. wake — a trail
  4. cell — a phone
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. rule — government
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. stand — to bear
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cell — in biology
  16. staff — employees
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. staff — employees
  20. snap — to click
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. rule — a law
  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