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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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. spell — a short time
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. drill — the tool
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. ground — the earth
  10. chest — a box
  11. ground — a position
  12. board — a committee
  13. spell — magic
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitch — completely
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. spell — letters
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. drill — army training
  24. board — to get on

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