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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — to get on
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. march — the month
  9. suit — in cards
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. suit — to fit
  12. march — music
  13. cue — a signal
  14. suit — clothes
  15. cue — a hint
  16. prune — to trim
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — for pool
  19. lean — thin
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fall — the season
  24. board — a committee

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