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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pop — music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. craft — boats
  7. pop — soda
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bass — low music
  10. board — a committee
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. kid — to tease
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pop — to visit
  23. craft — a skill
  24. kid — child

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