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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. land — ground
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — a country
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. bat — the animal
  22. kick — in football
  23. board — a committee
  24. fork — in a road

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