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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 · rest · tube · game · mine · chair · firm · tear

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rest — a break
  4. firm — a company
  5. mine — for digging
  6. board — to get on
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. chair — a leader
  10. game — a match
  11. tear — to rip
  12. firm — decided
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. tear — from crying
  17. tube — the underground
  18. firm — steady
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. game — wild animals

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