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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — a short time
  4. pitch — completely
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. saw — the tool
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. toast — bread
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. board — a committee
  17. shower — rain
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. stand — to bear
  21. board — to get on
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pitch — a sports field

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