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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. spell — magic
  7. stock — goods
  8. board — a committee
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. row — to paddle
  12. spell — letters
  13. row — a line
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. board — to get on
  20. game — wild animals
  21. game — a match
  22. stock — shares
  23. chair — a leader
  24. row — a quarrel

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