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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. board — to get on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bat — the animal
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bass — low music
  16. key — the most important part
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. key — for a lock
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. drill — army training
  21. key — in music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. drill — a practice

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