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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rest — what's left
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. row — a line
  7. season — in sport
  8. game — wild animals
  9. ball — a great time
  10. press — a publisher
  11. board — a committee
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. rest — a break
  15. stem — to come from
  16. press — newspapers
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — to paddle
  20. board — to get on
  21. press — to push
  22. game — a match
  23. season — of the year
  24. rest — what's left

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