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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. last — final
  3. board — a committee
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — to go on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bear — the animal
  12. board — to get on
  13. stock — goods
  14. last — finally
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. season — of the year
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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