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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. firm — steady
  3. board — to get on
  4. face — to confront
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. face — part of the head
  9. scale — size or range
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wound — an injury
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitch — completely
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. field — a subject
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to point toward
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — farmland
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  24. scale — in music

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