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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. hand — in cards
  5. drill — the tool
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. content — the amount
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. plane — a tool
  10. pitch — completely
  11. drill — army training
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. roll — a cake
  17. bark — to shout
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hand — help
  20. board — a committee
  21. content — happy
  22. board — to get on
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. plane — an aircraft

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