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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. field — farmland
  3. can — a tin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — a subject
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. can — a tin
  13. pound — a weight
  14. field — for sport
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. rule — a law
  19. can — to be able to
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. staff — employees
  24. trunk — of a tree

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