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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — to get on
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. hand — in cards
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. game — wild animals
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. band — a music group
  17. game — a match
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. hand — help
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — a young animal

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