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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — government
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. chip — to eat
  7. chip — for betting
  8. season — of the year
  9. race — humankind
  10. season — in sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. race — a contest
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. ground — the earth
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. race — the arms race
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rule — a law
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. trunk — of a car

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