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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 120 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: drill · board · mine · ground · bat · charge · swing · mouse

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. board — a committee
  3. charge — electricity
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — army training
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. ground — the earth
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. charge — in control
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. ground — a position
  22. charge — a price
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mine — for digging

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