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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: lean · wake · mouse · rule · game · foot · board · bat

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. foot — a measure
  5. lean — thin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. rule — government
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rule — a law
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. game — a match
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. lean — to bend
  21. board — a committee
  22. board — to get on
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bat — the animal

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