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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. face — to confront
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cell — in biology
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. face — part of the head
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. face — to point toward
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. lean — to bend
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. rule — government

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