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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of law
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chip — for betting
  12. hand — help
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mate — to breed
  15. court — of a king
  16. rule — a law
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chip — to eat
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. court — for sport
  22. rule — government
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — an eyelash

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