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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. rule — government
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. deal — to handle
  10. root — of a plant
  11. rest — a break
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. root — of a word
  14. degree — temperature
  15. degree — from a university
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. rule — a law
  19. degree — an amount
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. root — the cause
  24. lash — to lash out

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