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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. game — a match
  4. bound — tied together
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. board — a committee
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. track — a path
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. track — a song
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bound — certain
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. game — wild animals
  20. track — to keep track
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. board — to get on
  23. bound — obliged
  24. chest — a box

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