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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rule — government
  4. field — for sport
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wax — to grow
  7. mate — a partner
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bound — certain
  10. rest — what's left
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. mate — to breed
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rest — a break
  20. rule — a law
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — a subject
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. trunk — of a tree

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