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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 120 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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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: hide · leaves · kick · stick · pass · foot · mate · board

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. board — a committee
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. mate — a partner
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. kick — in football
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. board — to get on
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pass — a permit
  21. mate — to breed
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. foot — a measure

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