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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — in cards
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. chest — of your body
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. board — a committee
  16. press — a publisher
  17. chest — a box
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. chest — of your body
  21. press — to push
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. kick — in football
  24. press — newspapers

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