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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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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. scale — size or range
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. bank — for money
  7. board — a committee
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. board — to get on
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mine — for digging
  16. craft — boats
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. craft — a skill
  19. sharp — clever
  20. scale — in music
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. bank — for money
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bank — of a river

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