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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — the fish
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. file — a document
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. file — a tool
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. sharp — clever
  20. board — to get on
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. file — a line of people

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