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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kid — to tease
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. board — a committee
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. kid — child
  16. rest — what's left
  17. net — after costs
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — for light
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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