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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. fine — high quality
  5. spell — a short time
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. board — a committee
  8. fine — all right
  9. cap — a hat
  10. pitch — completely
  11. cap — of ice
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. spell — magic
  15. current — of water
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. current — happening now
  18. cap — a lid
  19. current — electric
  20. sharp — clever
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. board — to get on
  23. spell — letters
  24. bat — the animal

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