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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. fine — all right
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bass — the fish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — help
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bass — low music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. board — a committee
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fine — high quality
  18. hand — in cards

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