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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. mug — a cup
  9. board — a committee
  10. game — a match
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. mug — a face
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cell — in biology
  23. board — to get on
  24. fan — to cool the air

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