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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. perch — the fish
  3. board — a committee
  4. cue — for pool
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. ground — crushed
  7. board — to get on
  8. mark — a trace
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pitch — completely
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. hand — help
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. cue — a signal
  20. mark — a grade
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. ground — the earth
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. hand — in cards

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