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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 116 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. board — a committee
  6. club — for golf
  7. board — to get on
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitch — completely
  10. march — the month
  11. content — happy
  12. perch — the fish
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. race — humankind
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. race — the arms race
  17. march — the month
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. march — music
  21. content — the amount
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pass — a permit
  24. perch — for a bird

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