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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. scale — in music
  3. last — finally
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. board — a committee
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. fork — in a road
  11. last — to go on
  12. rush — hurry
  13. present — a gift
  14. board — to get on
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — there
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. drill — army training
  19. scale — size or range
  20. last — final
  21. club — for dancing
  22. drill — a practice
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. scale — for weighing

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