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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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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: lean · kid · club · chip · wound · suit · board · coach

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. board — to get on
  3. wound — an injury
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for golf
  8. club — a group
  9. wound — an injury
  10. kid — child
  11. chip — to eat
  12. board — a committee
  13. lean — to bend
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. chip — for betting
  19. kid — to tease
  20. suit — clothes
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. suit — to fit
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. club — for dancing

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