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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. saw — the tool
  9. board — to get on
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. degree — temperature
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. lie — to recline
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. degree — an amount

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