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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. last — final
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. can — a tin
  8. last — to go on
  9. mark — a grade
  10. board — to get on
  11. band — a ring
  12. snap — to click
  13. can — to be able to
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a great time
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. band — a music group
  19. can — a tin
  20. board — a committee
  21. last — finally
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pitch — a sports field

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