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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. board — to get on
  3. staff — a stick
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bat — the animal
  7. degree — from a university
  8. board — a committee
  9. foot — a measure
  10. stock — goods
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. staff — employees
  13. stock — shares
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. snap — to click
  18. degree — temperature
  19. degree — an amount
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. staff — employees

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