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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. suit — to fit
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rule — government
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — ground
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a great time
  20. land — a country
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bat — the animal
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ball — a round shape

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