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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mate — a partner
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. board — to get on
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. press — newspapers
  14. object — an aim
  15. wound — an injury
  16. press — a publisher
  17. mate — a friend
  18. press — to push
  19. wound — an injury
  20. mate — to breed
  21. object — a thing
  22. foot — a measure
  23. board — a committee
  24. object — to protest

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