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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. band — a music group
  3. board — a committee
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mark — a grade
  7. mark — a trace
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lean — to bend
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. lean — thin
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. board — to get on
  16. kick — in football
  17. mine — for digging
  18. dip — to sink
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. band — a ring
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mark — to pay attention

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