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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 116 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. land — to come down
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rule — a law
  6. mug — a cup
  7. pop — music
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fine — all right
  10. pop — to visit
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. rule — government
  13. land — a country
  14. pop — soda
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mug — a face
  22. mug — to rob
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. deal — to handle

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