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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. hand — in cards
  3. file — a line of people
  4. spring — of water
  5. rule — government
  6. spring — the season
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. file — a tool
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. file — a document
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mark — a grade
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. hand — help
  23. bore — to tire
  24. trunk — of a tree

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