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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. swing — to play on
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. pitch — completely
  8. plane — a tool
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. file — a tool
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. file — a document
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — a short time
  16. board — to get on
  17. file — a line of people
  18. fine — all right
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fine — high quality
  21. spell — letters
  22. swing — music
  23. board — a committee
  24. fine — a penalty

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