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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. clip — for paper
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. fine — high quality
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. rash — hasty
  9. game — a match
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. game — wild animals
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. fine — all right
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. rash — a series
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pitch — completely

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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