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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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. roll — a list
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. face — to point toward
  7. wound — an injury
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. spring — the season
  11. board — to get on
  12. drill — army training
  13. key — in music
  14. spring — of water
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. roll — a cake
  20. drill — the tool
  21. board — a committee
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. key — for a lock
  24. spring — a coil

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