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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. board — a committee
  3. band — a music group
  4. row — to paddle
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. clip — to cut
  7. charge — electricity
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. club — for golf
  11. mate — to breed
  12. charge — a price
  13. row — a line
  14. club — for dancing
  15. board — to get on
  16. band — a ring
  17. charge — in control
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. mate — a friend
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. club — a group
  22. mate — a partner
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. clip — for paper

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