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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — to get on
  3. firm — decided
  4. bound — tied together
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cold — an illness
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. firm — a company
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bound — obliged
  17. cold — not warm
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bound — certain
  20. firm — steady
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. bore — to drill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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