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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. board — to get on
  3. degree — from a university
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. degree — an amount
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. can — a tin
  10. degree — temperature
  11. drill — the tool
  12. drill — army training
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. saw — the tool
  17. board — a committee
  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