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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mate — a partner
  7. roll — a cake
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lean — thin
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. rule — government
  12. date — the fruit
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. mate — to breed
  16. clip — a video
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. foot — a measure
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — for paper
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — on a roll

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