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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bore — to drill
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. land — a country
  9. mine — for digging
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. season — in sport
  12. cue — a signal
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cue — a hint
  16. bore — to tire
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. board — to get on
  19. tube — a container
  20. cue — for pool
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. kick — in football
  23. tube — the underground
  24. kick — with a leg

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