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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. board — a committee
  4. rash — hasty
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bound — certain
  7. rush — hurry
  8. court — of a king
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. game — wild animals
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bound — obliged
  14. board — to get on
  15. mine — for digging
  16. court — of law
  17. bound — tied together
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. game — a match
  20. rash — a series
  21. court — for sport
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. temple — a place of worship

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