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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 120 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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  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. cap — of ice
  2. pitch — completely
  3. cap — a hat
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — a match
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. mine — for digging
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cap — a lid
  12. board — to get on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. row — a line
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. fork — in a road
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. board — a committee
  21. game — wild animals
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  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