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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 currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. board — a committee
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rule — government
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. land — a country
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bound — certain
  9. squash — the sport
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rule — a law
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. foot — a measure
  14. board — to get on
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. land — ground
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. pitch — completely
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. land — to come down

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