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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. kid — child
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. net — after costs
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — in sport
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. board — to get on
  12. pass — a permit
  13. row — a line
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. foot — a measure
  17. net — for catching
  18. pitch — completely
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. present — the time now
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. row — to paddle
  23. present — there
  24. present — a gift

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