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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. cell — a phone
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — in biology
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. band — a ring
  15. rule — government
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. pop — music
  18. band — a music group
  19. pound — a weight
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. rule — a law
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ground — crushed

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