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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. pop — to visit
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. can — a tin
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. board — a committee
  7. cold — not warm
  8. spring — of water
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. can — a tin
  14. spring — a coil
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — an illness
  18. board — to get on
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. lie — to recline
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pop — music

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