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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. board — a committee
  3. mug — a face
  4. rash — hasty
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. squash — to crush
  11. cold — not warm
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. cold — an illness
  22. wax — to grow
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. board — to get on

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