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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. field — a subject
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. board — a committee
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. rash — a series
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rash — hasty
  13. field — for sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. deal — to handle
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. pitch — completely
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. field — farmland
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  24. fan — a supporter

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