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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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Word bank
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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: pop · arm · mate · degree · rule · fork · trunk · firm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mate — a partner
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. degree — temperature
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. degree — from a university
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. degree — an amount
  12. firm — steady
  13. rule — government
  14. pop — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. pop — to visit
  18. firm — decided
  19. rule — a law
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. firm — a company
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pop — soda
  24. arm — part of the body

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