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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — a practice
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. bat — the animal
  8. board — a committee
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. pitch — completely
  11. last — to go on
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. last — final
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. drill — army training
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. drill — the tool
  22. board — to get on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. last — finally

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