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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mug — to rob
  5. board — a committee
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. key — in music
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. ground — the earth
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. roll — a list
  17. mug — a face
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. ground — a position
  23. board — to get on
  24. drill — army training

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