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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. band — a ring
  4. staff — employees
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. board — to get on
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bound — obliged
  9. board — a committee
  10. ground — the earth
  11. staff — employees
  12. bound — certain
  13. spell — letters
  14. ground — a position
  15. wound — an injury
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. band — a music group
  18. wound — an injury
  19. bound — tied together
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spell — magic
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. ground — crushed

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