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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · cell · chip · lean · ground · board · lie · lash

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. lean — thin
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. mate — a partner
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. board — a committee
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cell — a phone
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. chip — for betting
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lean — to bend
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ground — the earth
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. ground — a position
  19. mate — a friend
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. board — to get on
  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