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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. ball — a dance
  4. net — in sport
  5. mug — a cup
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rush — hurry
  8. board — to get on
  9. net — for catching
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. snap — to click
  13. clip — a video
  14. clip — for paper
  15. board — a committee
  16. net — after costs
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. clip — to cut
  20. mug — to rob
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. ball — a great time
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mug — a face

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