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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cap · file · board · pit · rock · spell · trunk · straw

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. rock — music
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cap — of ice
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spell — letters
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. file — a tool
  13. spell — magic
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. cap — a lid
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a document
  18. board — a committee
  19. rock — a stone
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cap — a hat
  22. file — a line of people
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spell — a short 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