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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: calf · board · rule · game · season · shower

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. rule — a law
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rule — government
  8. board — to get on
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. season — in sport
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — of the year
  16. board — a committee
  17. shower — to wash
  18. game — wild animals

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