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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. row — to paddle
  5. swing — music
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ball — a dance
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. swing — in golf
  14. ball — a great time
  15. board — to get on
  16. ground — crushed
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wake — a trail
  22. row — a line
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. ball — a round shape

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