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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. board — a committee
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. saw — the tool
  8. board — to get on
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cold — an illness
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. cold — not warm
  24. mark — a grade

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