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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. cell — a phone
  6. toast — bread
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. file — a document
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. file — a tool
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — in biology
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. toast — the most admired

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