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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. spring — the season
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. spring — a coil
  7. pitch — completely
  8. race — the arms race
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. race — humankind
  11. board — to get on
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. spring — of water
  14. cap — a lid
  15. ground — the earth
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. race — a contest
  19. scale — size or range
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wake — a trail
  22. board — a committee
  23. ground — a position
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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