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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 116 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — happy
  4. object — a thing
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. spell — letters
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. spell — a short time
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a match
  15. board — a committee
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. board — to get on
  18. spell — magic
  19. object — an aim
  20. prune — to trim
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. object — to protest
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. calf — a young animal

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