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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rule — government
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. bass — low music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. rule — a law
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. chair — a leader
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bass — the fish

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