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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spring · drill · board · ball · content · pitch · key · bark

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. content — happy
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a great time
  8. key — in music
  9. content — the amount
  10. drill — army training
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pitch — completely
  19. board — a committee
  20. board — to get on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — to shout
  23. spring — a coil
  24. drill — the 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