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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. staff — employees
  5. row — a line
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. rule — government
  10. spell — magic
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. row — to paddle
  13. rule — a law
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — letters
  17. rash — a series
  18. content — the amount
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. rash — hasty
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — a stick
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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