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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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. mine — belonging to me
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. last — final
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. current — happening now
  9. mine — for digging
  10. last — finally
  11. last — to go on
  12. current — electric
  13. stock — shares
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. board — a committee
  16. stock — goods
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. current — of water
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. kick — in football
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. board — to get on

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