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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. scale — in music
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. fall — the season
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. rock — a stone
  14. race — a contest
  15. fall — to drop
  16. board — to get on
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. rock — music
  19. squash — the sport
  20. race — humankind
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. squash — to crush
  23. race — the arms race
  24. scale — size or range

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