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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. court — of law
  5. cap — a lid
  6. stem — to come from
  7. board — a committee
  8. present — the time now
  9. court — of a king
  10. board — to get on
  11. cap — a hat
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mate — a partner
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mate — a friend
  16. present — there
  17. current — of water
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. current — happening now
  20. current — electric
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. present — a gift
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stem — of a plant

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