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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: drill · bat · foot · board · cue · saw · tube · pitch

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. board — a committee
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — a measure
  8. saw — the tool
  9. tube — a container
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. cue — for pool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. drill — the tool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. drill — army training
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. saw — the tool
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bat — for baseball

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