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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. can — to be able to
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. charge — electricity
  7. mug — a cup
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. board — to get on
  10. charge — in control
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. can — a tin
  13. charge — a price
  14. mug — a face
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. lie — to recline
  18. hand — in cards
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — help
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. can — a tin

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