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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. kid — to tease
  3. kid — child
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. spell — a short time
  6. cap — a hat
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stand — to bear
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. spell — letters
  12. cap — a lid
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. cap — of ice
  18. trunk — of a tree

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