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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rule — a law
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. season — in sport
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. tube — a container
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. fine — all right
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. pass — a permit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fine — high quality
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. tube — the underground
  23. rule — government
  24. season — of the year

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