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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. hand — in cards
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. wake — a trail
  8. rule — government
  9. club — for golf
  10. hand — help
  11. net — for catching
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bulb — for light
  15. net — in sport
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. club — for dancing
  20. net — after costs
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bulb — for light
  23. club — a group
  24. kid — child

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