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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. content — happy
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. rule — a law
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. chip — to eat
  11. game — a match
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — wild animals
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. rule — government
  16. ball — a great time
  17. kick — in football
  18. content — the amount
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. chip — for betting
  21. key — for a lock
  22. ball — a dance
  23. key — in music
  24. key — the most important part

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