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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. last — finally
  3. rule — government
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. present — a gift
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. kick — in football
  10. rule — a law
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. stock — shares
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. present — the time now
  19. last — to go on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. present — there
  22. last — final
  23. stock — goods
  24. wax — in the ear

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