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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: lie · board · clip · roll · pit · hand · file · calf

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. hand — help
  3. clip — to cut
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — in a race
  6. file — a tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. file — a line of people
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pit — a hole
  11. board — a committee
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. board — to get on
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. roll — a cake
  18. file — a document
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. clip — a video
  23. roll — a list
  24. clip — for paper

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