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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 ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. hand — help
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — a match
  7. hand — in cards
  8. game — wild animals
  9. cell — in biology
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. cell — a phone
  12. board — to get on
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lean — thin
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. rule — a law
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. root — the cause
  20. rule — government
  21. lean — to bend
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. root — of a plant
  24. lean — to rest against

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