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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. cold — an illness
  3. bear — the animal
  4. roll — a list
  5. board — to get on
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. board — a committee
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. cold — not warm
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bear — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — wild animals
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. game — a match
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hide — animal skin

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