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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. kick — in football
  3. current — of water
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. lie — to recline
  7. net — for catching
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. current — happening now
  10. season — in sport
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. net — in sport
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. current — electric
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. track — a song
  20. track — a path
  21. hand — in cards
  22. track — to keep track
  23. net — after costs
  24. hand — help

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