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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. game — a match
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. kid — to tease
  9. firm — a company
  10. pit — in a race
  11. firm — decided
  12. kid — child
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. game — wild animals
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pit — a hole
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — an injury
  23. rest — what's left
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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