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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — a break
  6. swing — in golf
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spell — letters
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — magic
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. drill — a practice
  13. spell — a short time
  14. swing — to play on
  15. snap — to click
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. drill — army training
  18. drill — the tool
  19. swing — music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. game — a kind of play

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