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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. march — the month
  7. march — the month
  8. march — music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bore — to drill
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — a match
  13. bore — to tire
  14. mate — to breed
  15. board — to get on
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. foot — a measure
  18. mate — a partner
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. game — wild animals
  24. board — a committee

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