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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. net — after costs
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. field — for sport
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. board — to get on
  11. field — farmland
  12. board — a committee
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. file — a tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. net — for catching
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rest — what's left
  19. net — in sport
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. file — a line of people
  24. field — a subject

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