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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. last — final
  3. game — a match
  4. board — to get on
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. last — to go on
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. last — finally
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. key — in music
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. key — the most important part
  18. board — a committee
  19. pitch — completely
  20. game — wild animals
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cue — a hint
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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