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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. rock — a stone
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. field — for sport
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. key — for a lock
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. rock — music
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. field — a subject
  24. board — a committee

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