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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: trunk · squash · mate · kick · rash · rule · ground · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. mate — a partner
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. ground — the earth
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ground — a position
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. kick — in football
  18. rule — a law
  19. rule — government
  20. ground — crushed
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. toast — bread

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