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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. fine — all right
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. suit — to fit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. hand — help
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. board — to get on
  14. suit — in cards
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitch — completely
  19. hand — in cards
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. board — a committee
  24. suit — clothes

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