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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. mate — a friend
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. wind — moving air
  5. object — a thing
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. board — to get on
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. season — of the year
  12. fine — high quality
  13. board — a committee
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. object — to protest
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. season — in sport
  22. wind — moving air
  23. stand — to bear
  24. object — an aim

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