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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mug — to rob
  4. rule — government
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. root — of a plant
  7. court — for sport
  8. root — of a word
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. court — of a king
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. root — the cause
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. rule — a law
  17. mate — a partner
  18. court — of law
  19. mug — a cup
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pit — a hole
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. mug — a face
  24. mate — to breed

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