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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. board — a committee
  3. hand — help
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. board — to get on
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. scale — size or range
  11. land — to come down
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. land — ground
  14. hand — in cards
  15. foot — a measure
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. game — a match
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. scale — in music
  24. land — a country

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