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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. season — to add flavour
  2. chair — a leader
  3. rest — what's left
  4. wound — an injury
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. rest — a break
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. board — to get on
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — in sport
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rest — what's left
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. snap — to click
  18. plane — a tool
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. wound — an injury
  23. season — of the year
  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