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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bound — certain
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bound — obliged
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wax — to grow
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. bound — tied together
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. scale — size or range
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. saw — the tool
  17. scale — in music
  18. board — to get on
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. board — a committee
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. pitch — completely

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