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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. board — to get on
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fall — the season
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. hand — in cards
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — a committee
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fall — to drop

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