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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: trunk · toast · arm · bore · face · swing · board · court

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. swing — to play on
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. face — part of the head
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. toast — bread
  10. court — for sport
  11. bore — to tire
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. court — of a king
  14. board — to get on
  15. bore — to drill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. swing — in golf
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. board — a committee
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. face — to point toward
  23. swing — music
  24. court — of law

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