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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 116 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: hand · mug · mark · trunk · mine · rule · last · chair

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. last — to go on
  4. mug — a cup
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. rule — a law
  12. mark — a trace
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. last — finally
  15. mug — a face
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mug — to rob
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mine — for digging
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chair — a leader

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