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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. deal — to handle
  5. board — to get on
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. staff — employees
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. bat — the animal
  12. tear — to rip
  13. staff — a stick
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. tear — from crying
  17. staff — employees
  18. ground — the earth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. cell — a phone
  24. trunk — of a car

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