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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. board — to get on
  4. land — to come down
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — wild animals
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mate — a friend
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. land — a country
  14. board — a committee
  15. mate — a partner
  16. bat — the animal
  17. game — a match
  18. land — ground

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