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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — a hat
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ground — crushed
  11. board — a committee
  12. saw — the tool
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bass — the fish
  21. cap — a lid
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. bass — low music
  24. board — to get on

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