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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. present — the time now
  3. object — an aim
  4. spell — a short time
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — government
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. object — to protest
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rash — a series
  15. present — a gift
  16. saw — the tool
  17. rash — hasty
  18. perch — the fish
  19. object — a thing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. present — there
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — a law

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