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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: game · board · bore · coach · ball · last · rest · roll

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. game — a match
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. ball — a great time
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. last — final
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. game — wild animals
  10. board — a committee
  11. last — finally
  12. last — to go on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. rest — a break
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bore — to tire
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. board — to get on
  21. roll — a list
  22. roll — a cake
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. coach — a trainer

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