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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. board — a committee
  3. shower — rain
  4. board — to get on
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. suit — to fit
  8. last — final
  9. prune — to trim
  10. season — in sport
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. shower — to wash
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. last — to go on
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. suit — clothes
  20. last — finally
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. prune — to trim
  24. suit — in cards

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