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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 120 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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ground — a position
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. last — to go on
  6. current — electric
  7. board — to get on
  8. club — for dancing
  9. board — a committee
  10. last — final
  11. last — finally
  12. current — happening now
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. club — for golf
  17. drill — the tool
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. club — a group
  20. deal — to handle
  21. ground — crushed
  22. current — of water
  23. drill — army training
  24. ground — the earth

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