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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: cap · drill · court · bulb · board · bat · hand · mark

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. drill — a practice
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. court — of law
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cap — a hat
  8. drill — the tool
  9. court — of a king
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. mark — a grade
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. drill — army training
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — of ice
  22. board — to get on
  23. bulb — for light
  24. court — for sport

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