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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a dance
  5. game — a match
  6. can — to be able to
  7. board — to get on
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. roll — a cake
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. band — a ring
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. rash — a series
  18. can — a tin
  19. game — wild animals
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. roll — a list
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. can — a tin

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