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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. present — the time now
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. present — there
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — in sport
  10. fine — high quality
  11. chip — for betting
  12. present — a gift
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. chip — to eat
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. track — a song
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a path
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cell — in biology

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