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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — a subject
  4. ball — a great time
  5. drill — a practice
  6. field — farmland
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. board — a committee
  14. cell — a phone
  15. cell — in biology
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. ball — a dance
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. field — for sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — army training
  24. lash — an eyelash

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