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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  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. mug — to rob
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bat — the animal
  9. sharp — clever
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. mug — a face
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. board — to get on
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mug — a cup
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bear — the animal
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. board — a committee
  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