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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. row — to paddle
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — to get on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. board — a committee
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. clip — to cut
  16. row — a line
  17. clip — a video
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. track — to keep track
  20. sharp — clever
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. track — a path

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