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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 116 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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ground — crushed
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spell — magic
  8. craft — boats
  9. ground — a position
  10. cue — for pool
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bat — the animal
  13. spell — letters
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. cue — a signal
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. cue — a hint

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