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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. land — ground
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. land — a country
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. capital — money
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. capital — a city
  14. roll — a cake
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a list
  21. rule — a law
  22. club — a group
  23. land — to come down
  24. coach — a trainer

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