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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — a law
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. land — ground
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. land — to come down
  8. net — in sport
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mug — a face
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — in a race
  17. land — a country
  18. net — after costs
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mug — a cup
  21. net — for catching
  22. mug — to rob
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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