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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: rule · trunk · mark · fall · field · kid · saw · chair

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. fall — the season
  4. field — farmland
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. kid — child
  7. kid — to tease
  8. mark — a trace
  9. field — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fall — to drop
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. field — a subject
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. mark — a grade
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a tree

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