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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.

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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: craft · wind · kick · board · chest · present · lie · fan

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. lie — to recline
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. craft — a skill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. present — there
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — a gift
  12. kick — in football
  13. craft — boats
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. board — to get on
  16. chest — of your body
  17. board — a committee
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. present — the time now
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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