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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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Word bank
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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: wake · kick · rule · toast · hand · trunk · roll · face

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. kick — in football
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. face — to point toward
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. face — to confront
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. face — part of the head
  12. toast — bread
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — a law
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. roll — a cake
  21. hand — help
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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