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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. game — a match
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. game — wild animals
  11. hand — help
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. squash — to crush
  14. board — a committee
  15. plane — a tool
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. hand — in cards
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. season — of the year
  21. squash — the sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. board — to get on
  24. trunk — of a car

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