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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — to get on
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. pit — a hole
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. land — a country
  16. land — ground
  17. pit — in a race
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitch — completely
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. land — to come down
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. staff — a stick
  24. pound — a weight

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