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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. wound — an injury
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bat — the animal
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. board — to get on
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — a committee
  11. mate — a partner
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. deal — to handle
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. mate — to breed
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a flat piece

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