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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. last — final
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. land — a country
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. file — a document
  10. board — a committee
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. file — a tool
  13. board — to get on
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. last — finally
  16. file — a line of people
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. land — to come down
  19. last — to go on
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. land — ground

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