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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. dip — to sink
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. season — of the year
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. wake — a trail
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. land — to come down
  16. rule — a law
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — the tool
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. rule — government

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