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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. cell — in biology
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. board — to get on
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. wind — moving air
  11. wax — to grow
  12. band — a music group
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wind — moving air
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. board — a committee

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