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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. board — a committee
  3. track — to keep track
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. board — to get on
  6. row — a line
  7. cue — for pool
  8. track — a song
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. ground — a position
  17. cue — a signal
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — of water
  20. cue — a hint
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ground — the earth
  23. track — a path
  24. spring — the season

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