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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 116 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 water is too ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — to get on
  7. pop — to visit
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pop — soda
  11. board — a committee
  12. pit — in a race
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pass — a permit
  15. branch — a division
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pop — music
  19. cold — an illness
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — a hole
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. nail — for a hammer

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