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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 116 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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spell — magic
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. cell — in biology
  10. board — a committee
  11. net — after costs
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — completely
  14. net — in sport
  15. cell — a phone
  16. spell — letters
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. spell — a short time
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. board — to get on
  23. net — for catching
  24. bound — certain

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