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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. last — to go on
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. board — to get on
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. root — of a word
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — the cause
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. board — a committee
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. game — wild animals

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