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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pop — to visit
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. board — a committee
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — army training
  11. board — to get on
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. drill — the tool
  15. pitch — completely
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pop — music
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pop — soda
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. shower — to wash

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