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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 120 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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. board — to get on
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. fork — in a road
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. squash — to crush
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bat — the animal
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. board — a committee
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. board — a flat piece

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