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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. saw — the tool
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pop — to visit
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. date — the fruit
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. scale — in music
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. game — wild animals
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pop — soda
  18. scale — size or range
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pop — music

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