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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. board — a committee
  9. wound — an injury
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. row — a line
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. row — to paddle
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — the earth
  24. sharp — clever

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