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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. board — a committee
  5. scale — size or range
  6. hand — help
  7. ground — a position
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. board — to get on
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitch — completely
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. ground — the earth
  21. row — a line
  22. wake — a trail
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. row — to paddle

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