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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 124 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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. board — a committee
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mine — for digging
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. board — to get on
  10. ground — a position
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bear — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. rock — music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bear — the animal
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ground — the earth
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. board — a flat piece

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