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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: board · nail · pop · present · racket · cold · drill · pitch

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. drill — the tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. pitch — completely
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pop — music
  9. present — there
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. present — the time now
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. board — to get on
  16. pop — soda
  17. present — a gift
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. drill — army training
  20. board — a committee
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. cold — an illness
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. cold — not warm

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