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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. wound — an injury
  8. chip — to eat
  9. prune — to trim
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chip — for betting
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rule — a law
  16. staff — a stick
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. staff — employees
  19. prune — to trim
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — a safe
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — employees
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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