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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. band — a music group
  4. spring — the season
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. present — there
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. present — a gift
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. band — a ring
  15. spring — a coil
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. drill — army training
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. present — the time now
  24. spring — of water

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