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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. firm — a company
  4. spring — the season
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — hasty
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. spring — of water
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. kick — in football
  15. firm — steady
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. row — a line
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. firm — decided
  20. rash — a series
  21. ball — a great time
  22. row — to paddle
  23. board — a committee
  24. spring — a coil

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