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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. rule — a law
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mine — for digging
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. face — to point toward
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. face — to confront
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rule — government
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. face — part of the head
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fine — all right
  19. prune — to trim
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. rule — to rule out

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