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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. board — a committee
  3. toast — bread
  4. staff — employees
  5. staff — a stick
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. firm — a company
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. board — to get on
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. firm — steady
  12. clip — a video
  13. clip — for paper
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. staff — employees
  17. firm — decided
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. pitch — completely
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — for digging
  24. clip — to cut

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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