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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chest — of your body
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — a committee
  8. ball — a dance
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. board — to get on
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. can — a tin
  19. can — a tin
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. deal — to handle
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a round shape

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