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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — soda
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. court — for sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rush — hurry
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pop — music
  18. board — a committee
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — to visit
  21. court — of a king
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. trunk — of a car

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