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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. lie — to recline
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. cap — of ice
  14. ball — a great time
  15. cap — a lid
  16. file — a tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. file — a line of people
  20. game — a match
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. file — a document

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