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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. current — happening now
  3. spring — the season
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — finally
  6. board — a committee
  7. current — electric
  8. bass — the fish
  9. spring — a coil
  10. drill — the tool
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. current — of water
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spring — of water
  16. last — to go on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. last — final
  19. bass — low music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. drill — army training
  24. rest — a break

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