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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mate — a friend
  3. squash — to crush
  4. board — a committee
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — a break
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. rash — a series
  11. board — to get on
  12. squash — the sport
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. scale — in music
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — the fish
  20. mate — a partner
  21. scale — size or range
  22. mate — to breed
  23. rash — hasty
  24. scale — for weighing

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