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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. spell — a short time
  4. track — a song
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — a committee
  8. land — to come down
  9. spell — letters
  10. track — to keep track
  11. board — to get on
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rush — hurry
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. track — a path
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. land — a country
  24. land — ground

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