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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kick — in football
  3. cell — a phone
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. club — for golf
  7. cue — a hint
  8. drill — the tool
  9. can — a tin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. club — a group
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cue — for pool
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — to get on
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cell — in biology
  18. board — a committee
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. club — for dancing
  21. cue — a signal
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. drill — army training
  24. hide — to keep secret

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