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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. mate — to breed
  4. board — to get on
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. board — a committee
  8. fine — all right
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rash — hasty
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. fine — high quality
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cold — an illness

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