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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. firm — a company
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. game — wild animals
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bear — the animal
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. rule — government
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. firm — decided
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hand — in cards
  18. game — a match
  19. firm — steady
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. hand — help
  23. rule — a law
  24. hand — part of the body

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