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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. board — a committee
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. board — to get on
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. root — of a plant
  12. mug — to rob
  13. root — of a word
  14. cell — in biology
  15. mug — a face
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cell — a phone
  19. root — the cause
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a music group
  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