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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. toast — bread
  12. last — to go on
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rule — government
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. court — for sport
  18. rule — a law
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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