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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 116 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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. bore — to drill
  9. board — a committee
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. field — a subject
  21. bat — the animal
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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