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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. net — in sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mark — a trace
  6. tear — from crying
  7. board — a committee
  8. tear — to rip
  9. board — to get on
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. net — after costs
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pitch — completely
  17. tear — from crying
  18. snap — to click
  19. net — for catching
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. chair — a leader
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. mark — a grade

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