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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 train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — on your feet
  2. game — wild animals
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. fine — all right
  12. hand — help
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. board — to get on
  15. game — a match
  16. hand — in cards
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. drill — a practice
  19. fine — high quality
  20. scale — in music
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. board — a committee
  24. scale — size or range

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