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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. saw — the tool
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — the tool
  6. spell — letters
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spell — a short time
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. game — a match
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. spell — magic
  19. chair — a leader
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. pitch — completely

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