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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 116 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. board — a committee
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. pit — in a race
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. field — a subject
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bat — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. cap — a hat
  21. board — to get on
  22. field — farmland
  23. wind — moving air
  24. field — for sport

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