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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. board — to get on
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. clip — a video
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. clip — to cut
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rash — a series
  14. clip — for paper
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a committee
  17. game — a match
  18. fan — a supporter

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