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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. press — a publisher
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. craft — a skill
  10. cold — not warm
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pass — a permit
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cold — an illness
  15. season — of the year
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. press — newspapers
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. press — to push
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. board — to get on
  24. craft — boats

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