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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. hand — help
  3. kick — in football
  4. spring — of water
  5. bore — to drill
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. spring — the season
  8. bore — to tire
  9. spring — a coil
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. board — a committee
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a song
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — to get on
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. track — a path

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