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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. rest — what's left
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. craft — a skill
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. board — a committee
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. kid — to tease
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. kick — in football
  15. kid — child
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. craft — boats
  21. rest — a break
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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