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

Word bank: nail · charge · hand · trunk · track · sharp · cell · rule

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rule — government
  4. track — a path
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — a price
  11. cell — in biology
  12. charge — in control
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cell — a phone
  18. hand — help
  19. charge — electricity
  20. rule — a law
  21. track — a song
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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