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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. firm — a company
  3. squash — to crush
  4. squash — the sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ground — the earth
  7. board — a committee
  8. firm — decided
  9. cold — an illness
  10. ground — a position
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. firm — steady
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. spring — of water
  16. ground — crushed
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spring — the season
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. cold — not warm
  24. squash — the vegetable

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