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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. key — for a lock
  3. ball — a dance
  4. lean — to bend
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. field — a subject
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. field — for sport
  9. lean — thin
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. drill — the tool
  14. key — in music
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a great time
  17. field — farmland
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. drill — army training
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. key — the most important part
  24. board — a committee

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