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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 water is too ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. game — a match
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pound — a weight
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. suit — in cards
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. chip — to eat
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bass — the fish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a committee
  22. suit — clothes
  23. game — wild animals
  24. suit — to fit

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