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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. last — finally
  3. saw — the tool
  4. root — of a plant
  5. root — of a word
  6. last — to go on
  7. last — final
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rule — a law
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rule — government
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. kick — in football
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. root — the cause
  23. board — to get on
  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