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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. board — a committee
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — the season
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. spring — a coil
  11. board — to get on
  12. wound — an injury
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. spring — of water
  16. lean — thin
  17. spring — the season
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — of the year
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. kid — child
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. kid — to tease

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