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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. file — a tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — the fruit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. degree — an amount
  9. season — of the year
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. degree — from a university
  15. board — a committee
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. file — a line of people
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. degree — temperature
  22. board — to get on
  23. file — a document
  24. pass — a permit

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