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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitch — completely
  4. board — a committee
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. net — in sport
  7. cap — a lid
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cap — of ice
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rash — a series
  14. fork — in a road
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. cap — a hat
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. board — to get on
  24. pitcher — a jug

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