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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. sharp — clever
  4. present — the time now
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. march — music
  9. perch — the fish
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. present — there
  14. bear — the animal
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. present — a gift
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. board — a committee
  19. bear — the animal
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — to get on
  22. date — the fruit
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. march — the month

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