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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kid — to tease
  5. deal — to handle
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. kid — child
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitch — completely
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. ground — a position
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. ground — the earth

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