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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. spell — a short time
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. squash — to crush
  8. band — a music group
  9. hand — help
  10. court — of law
  11. squash — the sport
  12. plane — a tool
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. court — for sport
  18. kick — in football
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. court — of a king
  23. band — a ring
  24. board — a committee

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