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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. perch — the fish
  5. row — to paddle
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. chip — for betting
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. row — a line
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pit — in a race
  21. chip — to eat
  22. pit — a hole
  23. board — to get on
  24. bat — in an idiom

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