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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — of the year
  4. drill — army training
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — music
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — in football
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. drill — the tool
  19. ball — a great time
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. board — to get on
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. board — a committee
  24. mouse — for a computer

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