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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 120 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 met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rest — what's left
  4. shower — to wash
  5. rest — a break
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. swing — music
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. board — a committee
  11. mine — for digging
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cap — a hat
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cap — of ice
  18. board — to get on
  19. swing — to play on
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rest — what's left
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. swing — in golf
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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