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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. ground — crushed
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. club — for dancing
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. capital — a city
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. land — ground
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. board — to get on
  15. club — for golf
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rash — hasty
  18. board — a committee
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ground — a position
  21. pitch — completely
  22. rash — a series
  23. capital — money
  24. club — a group

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