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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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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: kick · leaves · straw · hide · roll · scale · board · cell

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. kick — in football
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — in biology
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cell — a phone
  14. scale — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. board — a committee
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. scale — size or range
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. roll — a list
  24. board — to get on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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