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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. board — a committee
  4. rash — a series
  5. stem — to come from
  6. staff — a stick
  7. mark — a grade
  8. mark — a trace
  9. pound — a weight
  10. staff — employees
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. board — to get on
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. bat — for baseball

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