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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pitch · cue · saw · rule · shower · hand · board · lean

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. pitch — completely
  3. board — a committee
  4. hand — in cards
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hand — help
  7. rule — a law
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. rule — government
  10. lean — thin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. cue — a hint
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cue — a signal
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. saw — the tool
  20. board — to get on
  21. lean — to bend
  22. shower — rain
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. shower — to wash

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