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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's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. land — ground
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. key — the most important part
  6. key — in music
  7. pitch — completely
  8. land — a country
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. root — of a plant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — to get on
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. key — for a lock
  15. root — the cause
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. root — of a word
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. cold — not warm
  20. board — a committee
  21. land — to come down
  22. cold — an illness
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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