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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kick — in football
  3. staff — employees
  4. mug — a face
  5. wake — a trail
  6. board — to get on
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. shower — rain
  11. squash — to crush
  12. shower — to wash
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. staff — employees
  17. face — part of the head
  18. mug — to rob
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. mug — a cup
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. face — to confront
  24. staff — a stick

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