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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. drill — a practice
  4. march — the month
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. march — music
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. board — to get on
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. board — a committee
  14. ball — a great time
  15. drill — army training
  16. staff — a stick
  17. plane — a tool
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. foot — a measure
  20. march — the month
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pitch — completely
  24. staff — employees

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