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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. kick — in football
  4. hand — in cards
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hand — help
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. squash — the sport
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cell — a phone
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bank — for money
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bank — of a river
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bank — for money

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