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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. drill — army training
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. rash — hasty
  9. board — to get on
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. content — the amount
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. drill — the tool
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — happy

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