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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. can — to be able to
  8. board — a committee
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. can — a tin
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mine — for digging
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. mate — a friend
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. pitch — completely
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. board — to get on
  22. stand — to bear
  23. plane — a tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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