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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. deal — to handle
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ground — a position
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. club — a group
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitch — completely
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. club — for dancing
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. board — a committee
  20. club — for golf
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. board — to get on
  24. wind — moving air

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