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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. face — to confront
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. race — a contest
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. board — a committee
  9. pop — soda
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. face — to point toward
  12. ball — a great time
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — completely
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pop — to visit
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. pop — music
  24. board — to get on

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