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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: board · rule · pitcher · bay · mark · spell · game · hand

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rule — a law
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. board — to get on
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. board — a committee
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. spell — magic
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hand — help
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mark — a trace
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. rule — government
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mark — a grade
  24. game — a match

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