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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mine — for digging
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bulb — for light
  8. fall — to drop
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — in music
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. rule — a law
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. snap — to click
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bulb — for light
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rule — government
  22. fall — the season
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rule — to rule out

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