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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. shower — rain
  4. saw — the tool
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. swing — to play on
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. swing — in golf
  12. squash — the sport
  13. row — a line
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. shower — to wash
  16. board — to get on
  17. row — to paddle
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. swing — music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  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