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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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 a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wake — a trail
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. rash — a series
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. net — in sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. rash — hasty
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wind — moving air
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. net — for catching
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. board — a committee
  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