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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — a line
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. season — in sport
  6. foot — a measure
  7. row — to paddle
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. board — to get on
  14. season — of the year
  15. object — an aim
  16. board — a committee
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. object — to protest
  19. file — a document
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. mine — for digging
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. object — a thing
  24. calf — of the leg

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