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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — after costs
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rule — a law
  5. pit — a hole
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — a series
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. net — for catching
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rule — government
  23. net — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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