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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — a video
  6. board — to get on
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. file — a tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. last — final
  11. present — a gift
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. last — to go on
  17. clip — for paper
  18. squash — to crush
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pitch — completely
  22. file — a document
  23. present — there
  24. last — finally

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