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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. firm — a company
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. board — to get on
  6. hand — in cards
  7. firm — steady
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mark — a grade
  10. firm — decided
  11. present — there
  12. hand — help
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. present — a gift
  17. board — a committee
  18. game — a match
  19. ground — a position
  20. tear — to rip
  21. ground — the earth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. mark — a trace

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