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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. staff — employees
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bat — the animal
  7. staff — a stick
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — government
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mate — to breed
  13. track — a path
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. staff — employees
  16. spell — letters
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. spell — a short time
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rule — a law
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bat — for baseball

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