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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. field — for sport
  5. board — to get on
  6. file — a line of people
  7. field — farmland
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. file — a document
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. foot — a measure
  17. file — a tool
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. field — a subject
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. game — a match
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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