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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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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: content · cap · fall · mate · track · perch · trunk · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. content — happy
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. track — a path
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. cap — a hat
  7. board — a committee
  8. fall — to drop
  9. mate — to breed
  10. cap — a lid
  11. fall — the season
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — to keep track
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. track — a song
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. mate — a partner
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — of ice
  22. perch — the fish
  23. board — to get on
  24. fall — to drop

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