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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. mug — a cup
  5. key — in music
  6. sharp — clever
  7. root — of a plant
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. board — to get on
  10. game — a match
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. board — a committee
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bat — the animal
  15. key — the most important part
  16. mug — a face
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — wild animals
  20. key — for a lock
  21. mate — a partner
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. root — the cause
  24. root — of a word

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