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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. clip — to cut
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rash — a series
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. clip — for paper
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. clip — a video
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rush — hurry
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. board — a committee
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — an explosive

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