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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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. rule — government
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. court — of law
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. present — the time now
  10. court — for sport
  11. chip — to eat
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. present — there
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — a law
  16. chip — for betting
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. present — a gift
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in biology
  23. court — of a king
  24. cell — a phone

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