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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. staff — employees
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. staff — a stick
  7. cap — a hat
  8. board — a committee
  9. cap — a lid
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. board — to get on
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lie — to recline
  14. field — farmland
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. shower — rain
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — for sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pass — a permit
  24. field — a subject

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