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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · band · rest · hand · leaves · sharp · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. hand — help
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. ball — a dance
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. rest — what's left
  8. rest — what's left
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — a committee
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. hand — in cards
  15. game — wild animals
  16. band — a music group
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. game — a match
  19. rest — a break
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. board — to get on
  23. band — a ring
  24. board — a flat piece

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