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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. drill — the tool
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. board — a committee
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. drill — army training
  8. field — farmland
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. board — to get on
  11. kid — child
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — a hole
  15. kid — to tease
  16. bass — the fish
  17. field — a subject
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. field — for sport
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. board — a flat piece

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