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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. mate — to breed
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. rash — a series
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rule — government
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. spring — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. rash — hasty

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