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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cell — in biology
  3. hand — help
  4. cell — a phone
  5. hand — in cards
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. squash — to crush
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. kid — to tease
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. board — a committee
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wound — an injury
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. stand — to bear
  24. temple — a place of worship

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