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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. board — to get on
  3. mate — a friend
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. wound — an injury
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cell — a phone
  15. court — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. board — a committee
  18. mate — to breed
  19. field — for sport
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. cell — in biology

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