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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mate — a friend
  6. file — a tool
  7. rule — government
  8. file — a line of people
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. club — for golf
  13. file — a document
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. rule — a law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. club — for dancing
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mate — a partner
  24. club — a group

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