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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a match
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rest — a break
  11. board — to get on
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kick — in football
  15. season — in sport
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mate — a partner
  18. drill — army training
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mate — a friend
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — a practice
  24. game — wild animals

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