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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fine — high quality
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rash — hasty
  6. roll — a cake
  7. lean — thin
  8. board — to get on
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. game — a match
  11. board — a committee
  12. last — final
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. fine — all right
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. ball — a great time
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. game — wild animals
  23. rash — a series
  24. ball — a dance

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