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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. suit — to fit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. drill — a practice
  9. saw — the tool
  10. prune — to trim
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. board — a committee
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. suit — in cards
  18. drill — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. suit — clothes
  22. board — to get on
  23. drill — army training
  24. bat — in an idiom

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