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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lean — to bend
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. object — a thing
  5. game — a match
  6. object — an aim
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ground — crushed
  11. ground — a position
  12. board — to get on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitch — completely
  19. board — a committee
  20. ground — the earth
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. lean — thin

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