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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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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. board — a committee
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. board — to get on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. net — in sport
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. bat — the animal
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. chest — of your body

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