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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. row — a line
  4. board — to get on
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. face — to point toward
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. face — to confront
  13. net — in sport
  14. land — a country
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mine — for digging
  19. row — to paddle
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. land — to come down
  23. net — after costs
  24. wave — with your hand

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