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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · row · rule · trunk · kick · swing

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. swing — to play on
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. swing — music
  5. rule — a law
  6. swing — in golf
  7. row — to paddle
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rule — government
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. kick — in football
  12. row — a line
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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