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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. board — a committee
  6. mate — a partner
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a ring
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pit — in a race
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. mate — a friend
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. board — to get on
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mate — to breed
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pitch — completely
  24. row — a line

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