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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: hide · bat · club · dip · chest · plane · board · ground

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. board — to get on
  3. board — a committee
  4. ground — a position
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. plane — a tool
  9. chest — a box
  10. ground — the earth
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. club — for golf
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. dip — to sink
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bat — the animal
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — a group
  24. plane — in geometry

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