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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. board — to get on
  3. last — final
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. last — to go on
  6. last — finally
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. ball — a great time
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. board — a committee
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ball — a round shape

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