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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. cap — of ice
  6. drill — the tool
  7. cap — a lid
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — the season
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. wound — an injury
  14. board — a committee
  15. hand — in cards
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cap — a hat
  18. drill — army training
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. hand — help
  21. spring — of water
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. board — to get on
  24. spring — a coil

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