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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 124 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. field — for sport
  4. drill — the tool
  5. board — to get on
  6. key — the most important part
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. season — of the year
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. row — a line
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — a subject
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. season — in sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. board — a committee
  19. key — in music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. squash — the sport
  24. drill — a practice

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