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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — a committee
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. race — the arms race
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. race — humankind
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. chip — to eat
  10. chip — for betting
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — a contest
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. board — to get on

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