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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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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. deal — to handle
  4. board — to get on
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. wound — an injury
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pitch — completely
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. game — wild animals

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