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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 120 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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — in sport
  4. net — for catching
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rule — a law
  10. fork — in a road
  11. root — the cause
  12. board — a committee
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. court — of law
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. root — of a word
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. net — after costs
  19. court — of a king
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. root — of a plant
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. fork — to eat with

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