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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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. mark — a trace
  4. club — for dancing
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mark — a grade
  7. board — to get on
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. band — a ring
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. tear — from crying
  14. chip — to eat
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. club — a group
  18. band — a music group
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. club — for golf
  23. tear — to rip
  24. chip — for betting

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