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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 124 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. board — a committee
  4. cell — in biology
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. court — of a king
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — for sport
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. cell — a phone
  17. foot — a measure
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. board — to get on
  24. wind — moving air

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