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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. game — a match
  3. last — finally
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. can — a tin
  8. chest — of your body
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mine — for digging
  11. chest — a box
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — to get on
  16. track — a path
  17. last — final
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. last — to go on
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mine — belonging to me

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