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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. board — to get on
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. spring — the season
  6. cold — not warm
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. bound — certain
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spring — a coil
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cold — an illness
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. bound — obliged
  24. spring — of water

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