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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. land — to come down
  5. rule — government
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. pop — to visit
  9. staff — a stick
  10. ball — a dance
  11. pitch — completely
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pop — soda
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. land — a country
  18. staff — employees
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pop — music
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. rule — a law
  23. staff — employees
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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