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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 124 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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. board — to get on
  3. net — for catching
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pass — a permit
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bat — the animal
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. game — a match
  12. board — a committee
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. net — in sport
  17. fork — in a road
  18. net — after costs
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. wind — to turn a key

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