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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cap — a lid
  3. present — there
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cap — of ice
  6. last — to go on
  7. rule — government
  8. chair — a leader
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. last — finally
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. present — the time now
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — final
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. present — a gift
  20. cap — a hat
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. nail — on a finger

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