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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. spring — of water
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. drill — the tool
  7. board — to get on
  8. spring — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. drill — army training
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bound — tied together
  14. foot — a measure
  15. spring — a coil
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rock — music
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — clever
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. board — a committee
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. rock — a stone
  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