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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. 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. calf — of the leg
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. board — to get on
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. wake — a trail
  17. kid — to tease
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. kid — child
  20. fall — the season
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. 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