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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mate — to breed
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mate — a partner
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. suit — clothes
  8. rule — government
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. file — a line of people
  13. mate — a friend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a document
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. rule — a law
  18. suit — to fit
  19. spell — a short time
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. can — to be able to
  23. file — a tool
  24. can — a tin

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