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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rash — a series
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. board — to get on
  7. game — a match
  8. key — in music
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — for light
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. wind — moving air
  19. board — a committee
  20. degree — temperature
  21. key — for a lock
  22. degree — an amount
  23. wind — moving air
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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