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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. board — to get on
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bulb — for light
  6. court — of law
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. snap — to click
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. drill — the tool
  15. row — a line
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. bulb — for light
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. board — a committee
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. row — to paddle

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