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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. ground — a position
  4. lean — to bend
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lean — thin
  7. ground — the earth
  8. board — a committee
  9. rest — what's left
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bat — the animal
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rest — a break
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pitch — completely
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. wind — moving air

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