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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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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: nail · wound · ground · fine · saw · pitch · board · hand

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — the earth
  4. fine — all right
  5. board — to get on
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. ground — a position
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. board — a committee
  13. ground — crushed
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. fine — high quality
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. hand — in cards

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