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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: hand · board · staff · dip · sharp · pound · march · wave

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. sharp — clever
  4. board — to get on
  5. hand — in cards
  6. dip — to sink
  7. staff — a stick
  8. march — the month
  9. staff — employees
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. board — a committee
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. staff — employees
  19. pound — a weight
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. hand — help
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. sharp — with an edge

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