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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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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: pitcher · mine · bat · board · arm · nail · wake · present

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. board — to get on
  4. mine — for digging
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. present — there
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. board — a committee
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. present — a gift
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wake — a trail
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. present — the time now
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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