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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. perch — the fish
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. key — in music
  6. rule — government
  7. press — a publisher
  8. key — for a lock
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cell — a phone
  12. press — to push
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cell — in biology
  16. press — newspapers
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. stock — shares
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. stock — goods

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