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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: board · mark · present · lean · kid · ground · mug · nail

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. mark — a trace
  3. board — a committee
  4. kid — to tease
  5. present — a gift
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. present — the time now
  13. lean — to bend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. mug — a face
  17. mark — a grade
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mug — to rob
  20. kid — child
  21. ground — crushed
  22. present — there
  23. mug — a cup
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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