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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. chest — of your body
  3. spring — a coil
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. charge — in control
  7. prune — to trim
  8. chest — a box
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. spring — of water
  11. cue — a signal
  12. charge — a price
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. chest — of your body
  16. board — a committee
  17. charge — electricity
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — the season
  20. perch — the fish
  21. cue — for pool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cue — a hint
  24. prune — to trim

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