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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — clever
  3. board — to get on
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bore — to drill
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bore — to tire
  17. deal — to handle
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bat — the animal
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — a committee
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. bat — in an idiom

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