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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. pit — a hole
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. ground — a position
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. present — a gift
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — there
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. hand — in cards
  16. ground — the earth
  17. hand — help
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. ground — crushed
  22. present — the time now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. mouse — the animal

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