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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. season — in sport
  3. board — to get on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a trace
  6. board — a committee
  7. plane — a tool
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — of the year
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. chip — to eat
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. game — a match
  19. swing — in golf
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. chip — for betting
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. swing — music

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