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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 116 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 · lean · cue · fan · rash · game · board · season

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. game — a match
  3. board — a committee
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rash — hasty
  6. kick — in football
  7. rash — a series
  8. lean — to bend
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. cue — for pool
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. board — to get on
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — a hint
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. game — wild animals
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. lean — to rest against

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