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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. object — to protest
  7. rule — government
  8. field — a subject
  9. cue — a hint
  10. object — a thing
  11. chest — of your body
  12. rule — a law
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. field — farmland
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. wind — moving air
  17. cue — a signal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — a box
  20. cue — for pool
  21. field — for sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. object — an aim

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