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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — a hole
  4. deal — to handle
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. drill — a practice
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. drill — army training
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. court — of law
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stand — to bear
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of a king
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pit — in a race

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