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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 120 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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. lie — to recline
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — the earth
  6. board — to get on
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. hand — in cards
  9. swing — to play on
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. swing — music
  12. ground — crushed
  13. sharp — clever
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. lean — thin
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ground — a position
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lean — to bend
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. swing — in golf
  23. hand — help
  24. board — a committee

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