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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. game — wild animals
  6. board — a committee
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spell — magic
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. game — a match
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. swing — to play on
  15. branch — a division
  16. spell — letters
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. game — a kind of play

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