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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — clever
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cap — a lid
  8. ball — a great time
  9. cap — a hat
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. bound — tied together
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. board — to get on
  20. board — a committee
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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