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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. saw — the tool
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pitch — completely
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — the tool
  8. track — to keep track
  9. club — for golf
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. file — a line of people
  12. board — to get on
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — soda
  15. file — a document
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. pop — music
  18. club — a group
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a tool
  22. track — a path
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. craft — boats

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