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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. spring — a coil
  3. mug — a face
  4. spring — of water
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cap — a lid
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. spring — the season
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. hand — help
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. board — to get on
  17. pitch — completely
  18. cap — a hat
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. plane — a tool
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — of ice

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