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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. kick — in football
  7. pop — soda
  8. clip — a video
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pop — to visit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pop — music
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — to shout
  23. clip — for paper
  24. board — to get on

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