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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 a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. row — a line
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. foot — a measure
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. dip — to sink
  7. rock — music
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. board — a committee
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. lean — thin
  16. row — to paddle
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. cell — a phone
  19. board — to get on
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. rock — a stone
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. lean — to bend

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