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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. game — wild animals
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — of the year
  5. board — to get on
  6. cue — a signal
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. charge — electricity
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. cue — a hint
  13. cue — for pool
  14. charge — in control
  15. drill — army training
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. charge — a price
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. branch — a division
  21. season — in sport
  22. board — a committee
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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