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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. game — a match
  3. chip — for betting
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bore — to tire
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — boats
  11. game — wild animals
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. board — to get on
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. craft — a skill
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. chip — to eat
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. board — a flat piece

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