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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — a committee
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. board — to get on
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. firm — decided
  14. dip — to sink
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. bat — the animal
  19. game — a match
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. firm — a company
  22. firm — steady
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a great time

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