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

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — the sport
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. board — to get on
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. charge — a price
  9. rash — hasty
  10. squash — to crush
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. game — wild animals
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. rash — a series
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. charge — in control
  18. board — a committee
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. game — a match
  22. charge — electricity
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cabinet — ministers

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