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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — music
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. band — a music group
  12. board — a committee
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. band — a ring
  17. board — to get on
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pop — soda
  21. mug — to rob
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — for digging
  24. ground — a position

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