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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. board — to get on
  4. net — after costs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. net — in sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. net — for catching
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. game — a match
  18. game — wild animals
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. swing — in golf
  22. swing — music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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