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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 124 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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. degree — temperature
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. board — to get on
  7. degree — an amount
  8. last — to go on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bore — to tire
  11. last — finally
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. net — after costs
  18. sharp — clever
  19. net — in sport
  20. board — a committee
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. net — for catching
  23. degree — from a university
  24. last — final

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