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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mark — a trace
  6. board — a committee
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. lean — thin
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. rash — a series
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wake — a trail
  13. drill — the tool
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. lean — to bend
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. drill — a practice
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. drill — army training
  23. scale — in music
  24. mark — a grade

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