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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. board — to get on
  4. spell — letters
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. spell — a short time
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. board — a committee
  10. march — the month
  11. game — a match
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. march — music
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — magic
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. kick — in football
  22. march — the month
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. fan — a supporter

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