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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. board — a committee
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ground — crushed
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. date — the fruit
  9. board — to get on
  10. fine — all right
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. squash — the sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. squash — to crush
  20. ground — a position
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fine — high quality

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