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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.

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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: pop · game · spell · mug · cell · mark · board · hand

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pop — to visit
  3. game — a match
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. hand — in cards
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mug — a face
  9. board — a committee
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. cell — a phone
  13. hand — help
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a grade
  16. board — to get on
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pop — music
  21. pop — soda
  22. spell — letters
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. mark — a trace

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