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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 116 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: bowl · last · bat · mug · board · trunk · ball · drill

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mug — a cup
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ball — a dance
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. drill — army training
  7. mug — to rob
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. board — to get on
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. last — to go on
  13. bat — the animal
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. board — a committee
  17. mug — a face
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bowl — to roll

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