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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stem — to come from
  8. object — a thing
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. object — to protest
  11. fine — all right
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. cell — a phone
  14. board — a committee
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. object — an aim
  17. kick — in football
  18. pound — a weight
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. board — to get on
  21. mate — a partner
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cell — in biology
  24. stem — of a plant

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