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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. wax — to grow
  4. foot — a measure
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — child
  10. chip — to eat
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. ground — the earth
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. chip — for betting
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ground — crushed
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. board — to get on
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. ground — a position

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