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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: board · object · drill · cap · spell · game · chest · ground

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. spell — magic
  3. cap — a hat
  4. chest — of your body
  5. board — to get on
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ground — a position
  9. cap — of ice
  10. ground — the earth
  11. cap — a lid
  12. chest — a box
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. chest — of your body
  16. spell — a short time
  17. board — a committee
  18. spell — letters
  19. game — wild animals
  20. object — a thing
  21. game — a match
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. ground — crushed
  24. object — to protest

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