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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. fine — all right
  5. wind — moving air
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. game — wild animals
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. fine — high quality
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. game — a match
  20. dip — to sink
  21. board — a committee
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. wind — moving air

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