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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 lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. band — a ring
  5. sharp — clever
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — a permit
  10. stand — to bear
  11. board — to get on
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. board — a committee
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. kick — in football
  21. band — a music group
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. stand — for spectators

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