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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. game — wild animals
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. game — a match
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. kick — in football
  12. scale — in music
  13. board — a committee
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. capital — money
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. scale — size or range
  18. board — to get on
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. capital — a city
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. hide — to keep secret

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