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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. roll — a list
  3. bound — certain
  4. rule — a law
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. rule — government
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. pop — soda
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bound — tied together

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