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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bat — the animal
  3. board — to get on
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. board — a committee
  7. band — a music group
  8. net — for catching
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. band — a ring
  12. net — after costs
  13. bore — to tire
  14. spell — letters
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. net — in sport
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bore — gave birth

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