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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. bore — to tire
  3. object — to protest
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. ground — the earth
  6. bat — the animal
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. board — to get on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. ground — a position
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. ground — crushed
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. hand — help
  18. object — an aim
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. board — a committee
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — for digging
  24. object — a thing

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