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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. spring — a coil
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. spring — the season
  6. rule — a law
  7. squash — to crush
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rule — government
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cell — in biology
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. spring — of water
  18. squash — the sport
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. cell — a phone
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. fine — all right

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