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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bat — the animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. suit — clothes
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. swing — music
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. board — to get on
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — to play on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — a match
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. swing — in golf
  24. mine — an explosive

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