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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. degree — from a university
  6. board — to get on
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. ball — a dance
  9. board — a committee
  10. suit — to fit
  11. toast — bread
  12. dip — to sink
  13. shower — rain
  14. degree — temperature
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. degree — an amount
  18. game — a match
  19. suit — clothes
  20. shower — to wash
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. suit — in cards
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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