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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. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. lie — to recline
  3. board — a committee
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rock — a stone
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. rock — music
  16. wound — an injury
  17. board — to get on
  18. file — a document
  19. game — wild animals
  20. file — a line of people
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. game — a match
  23. file — a tool
  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