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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mate — a friend
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. land — to come down
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. mate — a partner
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. land — ground
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. board — to get on
  21. mate — to breed
  22. land — a country
  23. board — a committee
  24. game — a match

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