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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. court — of a king
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ground — the earth
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. spell — magic
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — in a road
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ground — a position
  20. spell — letters
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. court — for sport
  24. board — a committee

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