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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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 an elephant
  2. file — a tool
  3. rule — government
  4. cap — a hat
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a document
  7. row — a line
  8. file — a line of people
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. ground — a position
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ground — crushed
  17. toast — bread
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rule — a law
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — to paddle
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. row — a quarrel
  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