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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — a practice
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. roll — a cake
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — for sport
  10. spell — magic
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. can — a tin
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. spell — letters
  15. can — to be able to
  16. season — of the year
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — government
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rule — a law
  21. court — of law
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — in sport
  24. court — of a king

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