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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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. swing — to play on
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. scale — size or range
  5. swing — in golf
  6. wound — an injury
  7. scale — in music
  8. present — the time now
  9. wound — an injury
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. board — to get on
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. swing — music
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. roll — a cake
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stem — to come from
  23. roll — a list
  24. present — there

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