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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. board — to get on
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bound — tied together
  5. board — a committee
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bound — certain
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bound — obliged
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. season — in sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. kick — in football
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. season — of the year
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kid — child

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