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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: ball · file · drill · squash · board · object · present · bear

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. drill — the tool
  3. ball — a dance
  4. drill — a practice
  5. object — an aim
  6. board — a committee
  7. squash — the sport
  8. object — to protest
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. file — a tool
  11. bear — the animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. squash — to crush
  14. file — a document
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. present — the time now
  18. file — a line of people
  19. object — a thing
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. present — a gift
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bear — the animal
  24. drill — army training

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