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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — the tool
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. drill — army training
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rash — hasty
  8. board — a committee
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. rash — a series
  14. board — to get on
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. drill — a practice
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. hand — help
  21. stand — to bear
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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