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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. last — final
  3. saw — the tool
  4. board — to get on
  5. last — to go on
  6. suit — to fit
  7. chest — a box
  8. board — a committee
  9. wound — an injury
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. suit — in cards
  12. suit — clothes
  13. last — finally
  14. pitch — completely
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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