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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. present — the time now
  3. board — to get on
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bass — low music
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. mine — for digging
  13. board — a committee
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. present — a gift
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bass — the fish
  22. present — there
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. nail — for a hammer

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