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

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. current — of water
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mine — for digging
  5. drill — army training
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spell — magic
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — electric
  10. mate — a friend
  11. board — to get on
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. board — a committee
  15. current — happening now
  16. drill — a practice
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — a short time
  20. mate — to breed
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. wound — an injury
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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