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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. march — the month
  4. dip — to sink
  5. board — a committee
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. march — the month
  11. cold — not warm
  12. club — for golf
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. object — a thing
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. board — to get on
  20. rock — music
  21. march — music
  22. cold — an illness
  23. object — to protest
  24. object — an aim

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