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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 120 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: cap · game · file · root · hand · board · season · nail

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. season — of the year
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. game — a match
  7. root — of a plant
  8. file — a tool
  9. hand — help
  10. board — a committee
  11. board — to get on
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — a lid
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. season — in sport
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. cap — of ice
  19. cap — a hat
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. root — of a word
  22. file — a document
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. root — the cause

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