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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mate — a friend
  6. lean — thin
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lean — to bend
  9. board — to get on
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. rash — a series
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mate — a partner
  23. rash — hasty
  24. calf — a young animal

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