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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: plane · straw · ball · hand · last · calf · lie · board

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. plane — a tool
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. hand — in cards
  13. last — final
  14. board — to get on
  15. ball — a great time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. lie — to recline
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. board — a committee

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