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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bass — low music
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. present — the time now
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. sharp — clever
  12. game — a match
  13. bass — the fish
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — to get on
  17. present — there
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. present — a gift
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. board — a committee
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bass — the instrument

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