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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
468
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: hand · mate · kick · lean · cold · club · board · can

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. cold — the Cold War
  2. hand — help
  3. lean — to bend
  4. board — a committee
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. can — a tin
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. club — for golf
  11. lean — thin
  12. club — a group
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. mate — a friend
  17. hand — in cards
  18. kick — in football
  19. cold — not warm
  20. club — for dancing
  21. board — to get on
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cold — an illness
  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