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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. drill — a practice
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. root — of a word
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — army training
  19. rule — a law
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. kick — in football
  23. rule — government
  24. ruler — for measuring

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