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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. spell — letters
  4. charge — electricity
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. bear — the animal
  8. pitch — completely
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. board — to get on
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. charge — a price
  13. march — the month
  14. board — a committee
  15. bear — the animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — clever
  18. march — the month
  19. march — music
  20. spell — a short time
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. charge — in control
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. spell — magic

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