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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. board — to get on
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. drill — army training
  5. board — a committee
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. drill — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. scale — size or range
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. rash — a series
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. drill — a practice
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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