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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. lean — thin
  5. cold — an illness
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lean — to bend
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — a match
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. board — a committee
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. game — wild animals
  15. band — a music group
  16. pound — a weight
  17. band — a ring
  18. suit — in cards
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cold — not warm
  23. board — to get on
  24. suit — clothes

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