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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 124 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. board — a committee
  4. land — ground
  5. mark — a trace
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. board — to get on
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spell — letters
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. land — to come down
  12. mark — a grade
  13. cap — a lid
  14. land — a country
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. cap — a hat
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cap — of ice
  24. spell — magic

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