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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wound — an injury
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. rash — a series
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. plane — a tool
  7. rash — hasty
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. rule — a law
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. rule — government
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. ball — a dance
  16. chair — a leader
  17. ball — a great time
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. deal — to handle
  20. wound — an injury
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chair — a professorship

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