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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. last — finally
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. last — to go on
  7. fork — in a road
  8. last — final
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. plane — a tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. cabinet — ministers

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