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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rule — government
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cell — in biology
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. degree — from a university
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. degree — an amount
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. rule — a law
  23. cell — a phone
  24. degree — temperature

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