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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 116 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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. game — a match
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. pitch — completely
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. ball — a great time
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. ball — a dance
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. board — a committee
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. game — wild animals
  22. rash — a series
  23. field — for sport
  24. board — to get on

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