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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. board — to get on
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — to tease
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kid — child
  8. ground — crushed
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. wound — an injury
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. wound — an injury
  24. lie — to recline

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