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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: bear · wake · game · board · land · cold · cabinet · racket

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. land — to come down
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. game — wild animals
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. game — a match
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — a country
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. board — to get on
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — a committee
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. land — ground
  24. cabinet — ministers

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