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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. season — in sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. face — to point toward
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. board — to get on
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pitch — completely
  13. face — to confront
  14. board — a committee
  15. face — part of the head
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. fork — in a road

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