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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. spell — a short time
  6. lean — to bend
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spell — letters
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ball — a dance
  12. board — to get on
  13. tear — to rip
  14. spell — magic
  15. lean — thin
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a committee

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