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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. mate — a partner
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mate — to breed
  5. firm — steady
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — to handle
  13. firm — decided
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. net — for catching
  16. net — in sport
  17. firm — a company
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. net — after costs
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. board — a committee
  22. mate — a friend
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. board — to get on

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