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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. board — a committee
  3. stand — to bear
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cold — an illness
  8. lie — to recline
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. object — to protest
  15. board — to get on
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — not warm
  18. band — a music group
  19. date — the fruit
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. band — a ring
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. object — an aim

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