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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: board · leaves · ground · cold · bat · mouse · lash · stand

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cold — not warm
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. ground — a position
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. stand — to bear
  12. board — to get on
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. board — a committee
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mouse — the animal

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