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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pop — music
  4. wake — a trail
  5. board — a committee
  6. chip — for betting
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. rest — what's left
  9. pitch — completely
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rest — a break
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — final
  16. pop — to visit
  17. chip — to eat
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — to go on
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rest — what's left

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