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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. squash — the sport
  3. track — a song
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. row — to paddle
  6. board — to get on
  7. kick — in football
  8. board — a committee
  9. toast — bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. game — a match
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. track — to keep track
  16. squash — to crush
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. row — a line
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. track — a path

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