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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. board — a committee
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — music
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. hand — help
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cold — an illness
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. cold — not warm
  24. board — to get on

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