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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 · game · kid · row · hide · cabinet · roll · board

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — child
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. board — a committee
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. kick — in football
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. roll — a list
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. board — to get on
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — a match
  24. kick — a thrill

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