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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · fork · drill · rule · board · mouse · face · nail

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. board — to get on
  11. fork — in a road
  12. rule — a law
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ball — a dance
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. face — to point toward
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. drill — army training
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. ball — a great time
  24. rule — government

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