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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 120 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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. kid — to tease
  4. board — a committee
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. game — a match
  11. rock — music
  12. kid — child
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. board — to get on
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. game — wild animals
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. stock — goods
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. mine — for digging

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