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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 124 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — a committee
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. board — to get on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. drill — army training
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mine — for digging
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — a practice
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. tear — to rip
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. drill — the tool
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. game — a match
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. calf — of the leg

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