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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — final
  6. club — for dancing
  7. board — a committee
  8. club — a group
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. mug — to rob
  12. club — for golf
  13. last — finally
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rock — a stone
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rock — music
  18. mug — a face
  19. pit — a hole
  20. last — to go on
  21. mug — a cup
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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