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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. board — a committee
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. mate — a friend
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mate — to breed
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. row — to paddle
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. capital — money
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. board — to get on
  16. row — a line
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. mate — a partner
  19. shower — rain
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — to wash

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