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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. game — a match
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. game — wild animals
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. band — a music group
  14. band — a ring
  15. board — to get on
  16. branch — a division
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a dance
  19. board — a committee
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. foot — a measure
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. wind — moving air

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