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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. ground — crushed
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. board — to get on
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — a committee
  11. file — a document
  12. drill — army training
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — after costs
  15. net — in sport
  16. wax — to grow
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. drill — a practice
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a tool

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