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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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. straw — a straw man
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rule — a law
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — for sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ground — crushed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. perch — the fish
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. court — of a king
  16. ground — a position
  17. charge — a price
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. ground — the earth
  20. charge — electricity
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. court — of law
  24. charge — in control

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