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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. board — a committee
  5. last — finally
  6. mate — to breed
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. plane — a tool
  10. mate — a friend
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. last — to go on
  13. board — to get on
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. fine — high quality
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. last — final
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fine — all right
  24. deal — to handle

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