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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — a friend
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. lean — thin
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mate — to breed
  14. row — a line
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rule — a law
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. row — to paddle
  19. lean — to bend
  20. wound — an injury
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rule — government
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — a partner

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