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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. season — of the year
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to click
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. board — a committee
  9. season — in sport
  10. board — to get on
  11. pass — a permit
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — rain
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. scale — size or range
  21. shower — to wash
  22. wound — an injury
  23. scale — in music
  24. wound — an injury

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