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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. ball — a great time
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a committee
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. mark — a trace
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. game — a match
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. last — final
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. mark — a grade
  17. kick — in football
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — to get on
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. last — finally
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. ground — the earth

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