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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. court — for sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mug — a face
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bound — obliged
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. court — of law
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cell — a phone
  15. fall — to drop
  16. cell — in biology
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bound — tied together
  19. court — of a king
  20. bound — certain
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. fall — the season
  23. board — a committee
  24. mug — to rob

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