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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 120 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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. board — a committee
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. shower — rain
  9. board — to get on
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. key — the most important part
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. mine — for digging
  17. shower — to wash
  18. key — for a lock
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. key — in music
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. wind — moving air
  24. lash — to lash out

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