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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. content — happy
  4. game — wild animals
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. scale — size or range
  12. kid — child
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lie — to recline
  16. kid — to tease
  17. scale — in music
  18. board — to get on
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — for digging
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. content — the amount

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