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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. board — to get on
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — the arms race
  10. lean — thin
  11. scale — in music
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. board — a committee
  16. lean — to bend
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mine — for digging
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. scale — size or range
  24. race — a contest

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