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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. board — a committee
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. court — of law
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. board — to get on
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pit — in a race
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. court — of a king
  23. branch — a division
  24. patient — a sick person

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