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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. board — to get on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. tear — from crying
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. board — a committee
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. season — of the year
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bulb — for light
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. tear — from crying
  22. tear — to rip
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — in sport

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