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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. board — a committee
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. key — in music
  7. game — wild animals
  8. key — for a lock
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. net — for catching
  11. wake — a trail
  12. board — to get on
  13. net — in sport
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. last — to go on
  16. net — after costs
  17. last — final
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. key — the most important part
  20. pound — a weight
  21. game — a match
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. last — finally

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