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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. board — a committee
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. game — a match
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. plane — a tool
  9. game — wild animals
  10. object — to protest
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. mark — a trace
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. board — to get on
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. mark — a grade
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mine — for digging
  22. object — an aim
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. object — a thing

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