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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. board — to get on
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a committee
  14. lie — to recline
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. chair — a leader
  18. land — ground
  19. pitch — completely
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. land — a country
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. land — to come down

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