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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. cold — an illness
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. pit — in a race
  5. land — a country
  6. cue — for pool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. ball — a dance
  11. craft — a skill
  12. pit — a hole
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. board — to get on
  15. land — to come down
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cue — a hint
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. cold — not warm
  20. cue — a signal
  21. craft — boats
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. board — a committee
  24. land — ground

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