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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mug — a face
  3. rule — a law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. rule — government
  10. mug — a cup
  11. board — a committee
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bass — the fish
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. hand — in cards
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. roll — a list
  21. board — to get on
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. pitch — completely
  24. hand — help

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