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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. ground — crushed
  3. ball — a dance
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. pass — a permit
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. board — a committee
  14. ground — the earth
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. board — to get on
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. sharp — clever
  21. ground — a position
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ball — a great time

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