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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rule — government
  3. pound — a weight
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. fall — the season
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rule — a law
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. staff — employees
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. staff — employees
  14. fall — to drop
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. sharp — clever
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. staff — a stick
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mine — for digging

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