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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — to get on
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. rest — what's left
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. drill — a practice
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. rest — a break
  15. present — there
  16. drill — army training
  17. board — a committee
  18. pop — to visit
  19. net — in sport
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pop — soda
  23. present — the time now
  24. pop — music

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