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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. drill — the tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — a position
  5. current — electric
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — crushed
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. mine — for digging
  13. last — final
  14. current — happening now
  15. current — of water
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. ground — the earth
  19. last — finally
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. last — to go on
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — army training
  24. pass — a permit

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