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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 120 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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. deal — to handle
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. swing — in golf
  6. game — a match
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. hand — help
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — of a plant
  11. stem — to come from
  12. root — of a word
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hand — in cards
  16. swing — music
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. swing — to play on
  19. root — the cause
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. deal — a big deal

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