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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cold — an illness
  3. chip — for betting
  4. board — a committee
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. wake — a trail
  8. net — after costs
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. chip — to eat
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — to get on
  18. net — for catching
  19. game — wild animals
  20. net — in sport
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cold — not warm
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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