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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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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rule — government
  7. swing — to play on
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. rule — a law
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a music group
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. march — music
  15. march — the month
  16. bore — to drill
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bore — to tire
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. drill — a practice
  21. swing — music
  22. drill — army training
  23. band — a ring
  24. rule — to rule out

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