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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mark — a trace
  3. chest — of your body
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. board — a committee
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. game — a match
  18. chest — a box
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. board — to get on
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. cold — not warm
  23. cold — an illness
  24. racket — for tennis

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