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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 116 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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. kick — in football
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. board — a committee
  5. current — happening now
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to confront
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. current — of water
  13. face — part of the head
  14. tear — to rip
  15. board — to get on
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to point toward
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. rest — a break
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — electric
  23. rest — what's left
  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