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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — to get on
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pop — to visit
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. present — the time now
  8. present — there
  9. game — a match
  10. mate — a partner
  11. board — a committee
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pop — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — wild animals
  16. wound — an injury
  17. mate — a friend
  18. toast — bread
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. present — a gift
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pop — soda
  24. kick — in football

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