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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. court — of a king
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. date — the fruit
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. court — for sport
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pitch — completely
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. court — of law

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