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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 · cell · tear · foot · toast · trunk · suit · kid

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. tear — to rip
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. kid — to tease
  6. tear — from crying
  7. suit — clothes
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cell — a phone
  11. toast — bread
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. foot — a measure
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — a law
  18. tear — from crying
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. suit — to fit
  21. cell — in biology
  22. suit — in cards
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. kid — child

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