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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. rest — what's left
  3. swing — to play on
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. swing — in golf
  6. board — to get on
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. tear — to rip
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. ground — a position
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. board — a committee
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. ground — crushed
  21. swing — music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — for digging

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