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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: cell · shower · game · foot · ground · arm · plane · board

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. shower — rain
  4. game — a match
  5. board — to get on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. game — wild animals
  9. board — a committee
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. shower — to wash
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. foot — a measure
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. plane — a tool
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ground — a position
  23. ground — the earth
  24. plane — in geometry

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