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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  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. bowl — a dish
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — help
  5. march — music
  6. present — a gift
  7. hand — in cards
  8. firm — steady
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. march — the month
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. firm — decided
  14. rule — a law
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. present — the time now
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. march — the month
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. firm — a company
  23. present — there
  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