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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cold — not warm
  3. toast — bread
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cold — an illness
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. board — to get on
  10. pitch — completely
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. lie — to recline
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. swing — music
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. board — a flat piece

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