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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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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: scale · bass · board · track · drill · ground · bat · lean

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ground — the earth
  6. board — a committee
  7. bat — the animal
  8. board — to get on
  9. bass — the fish
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lean — to bend
  16. bass — low music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. drill — a practice
  21. track — a song
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. track — a path
  24. lean — thin

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