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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 120 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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. track — a path
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. track — a song
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. firm — a company
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. board — a committee
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. firm — decided
  12. pitch — completely
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. firm — steady
  17. track — to keep track
  18. row — to paddle
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mine — for digging
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. board — to get on
  24. row — a line

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