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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. wake — a trail
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. spell — a short time
  10. rule — government
  11. stand — to bear
  12. cell — a phone
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. rule — a law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cell — in biology
  18. spell — magic
  19. net — in sport
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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