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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. pitch — completely
  4. club — a group
  5. spring — the season
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. board — a committee
  9. wound — an injury
  10. board — to get on
  11. club — for golf
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. club — for dancing
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. cold — not warm
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. craft — a skill
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. spring — of water
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. cold — an illness
  22. spring — a coil
  23. craft — boats
  24. wound — an injury

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