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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. board — to get on
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. swing — music
  7. roll — a list
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. board — a committee
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. scale — size or range
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — a practice
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. roll — a cake
  16. drill — the tool
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. drill — army training
  20. game — a match
  21. swing — in golf
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. game — wild animals

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