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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. board — to get on
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pitch — completely
  5. land — a country
  6. object — a thing
  7. land — ground
  8. object — an aim
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. board — a committee
  11. club — a group
  12. shower — rain
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. snap — to click
  15. bark — to shout
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. club — for golf
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. object — to protest
  21. shower — to wash
  22. club — for dancing
  23. land — to come down
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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