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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. board — a committee
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. board — to get on
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. field — farmland
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chair — a leader
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — in sport
  18. net — for catching
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. field — a subject
  21. lean — thin
  22. net — after costs
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. squash — the sport

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