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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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. temple — side of the head
  4. rule — government
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rule — a law
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. game — a match
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. cap — a lid
  24. lash — to lash out

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