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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — a hat
  6. rash — hasty
  7. board — a committee
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — to recline
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. squash — the sport
  17. rash — a series
  18. board — to get on
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cap — a lid
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

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