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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. board — to get on
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bat — the animal
  8. stand — to bear
  9. scale — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. board — a committee
  14. rest — what's left
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rest — what's left
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. lash — to lash out

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