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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. club — for dancing
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lean — to bend
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. key — for a lock
  10. net — after costs
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. mine — for digging
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a committee
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. net — for catching
  17. shower — rain
  18. club — for golf
  19. net — in sport
  20. key — the most important part
  21. club — a group
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. key — in music
  24. lean — to rest against

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