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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. board — a committee
  4. toast — bread
  5. bound — certain
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — help
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bound — obliged
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bound — tied together
  17. degree — from a university
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. degree — an amount
  23. hand — in cards
  24. straw — dry grass

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