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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. board — to get on
  5. rest — what's left
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — a short time
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. rest — a break
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. board — a committee
  17. spell — magic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. tube — the underground
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. rash — a series

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