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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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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: date · mouse · mark · game · swing · straw · board · ball

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. mark — a trace
  3. game — a match
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ball — a dance
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. board — a committee
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. swing — music
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. mark — a grade
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. game — wild animals
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. date — the fruit
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. swing — in golf
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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