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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. board — to get on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. staff — employees
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. staff — employees
  15. pass — a permit
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. row — a line
  18. sharp — clever
  19. row — to paddle
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. drill — the tool
  24. board — a committee

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