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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
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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: drill · bay · can · board · ball · wind · date · ground

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. ground — the earth
  4. drill — a practice
  5. drill — army training
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a great time
  8. board — to get on
  9. drill — the tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — a committee
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ground — crushed
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — the fruit
  24. can — a tin

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