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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. board — a committee
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — for sport
  7. clip — to cut
  8. court — of a king
  9. foot — a measure
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. suit — clothes
  12. court — of law
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — for paper
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. suit — to fit
  23. board — to get on
  24. rest — a break

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