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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chip — to eat
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — to get on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. ground — a position
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chip — for betting
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — obliged
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bound — certain
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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