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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. charge — electricity
  3. net — after costs
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a dance
  12. file — a document
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. file — a tool
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. root — of a plant
  19. charge — a price
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. root — of a word
  22. file — a line of people
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. root — the cause

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