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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 116 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. board — to get on
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. lean — to bend
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. season — of the year
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. kick — in football
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. lean — to rest against

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