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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. board — to get on
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. board — a committee
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. chair — a leader
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. season — in sport
  17. pound — a weight
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wind — moving air
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lie — to recline

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