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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  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. trunk — of an elephant
  3. chair — a leader
  4. mark — a trace
  5. last — final
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. last — to go on
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. board — to get on
  12. mark — a grade
  13. tube — a container
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. squash — the sport
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. last — finally
  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