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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bound — obliged
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — tied together
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. board — a committee
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. net — after costs
  16. toast — bread
  17. ground — crushed
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. bound — certain
  21. ground — the earth
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. date — the fruit

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