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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: ground · toast · trunk · jam · rule · cell · rest · fine

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rest — what's left
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. toast — bread
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. fine — all right
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. rule — a law
  9. ground — crushed
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. cell — a phone
  13. ground — a position
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fine — high quality
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rule — government
  23. ground — the earth
  24. rest — a break

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