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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 120 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. drill — army training
  3. spell — a short time
  4. board — a committee
  5. drill — a practice
  6. swing — in golf
  7. spell — letters
  8. tear — from crying
  9. staff — a stick
  10. swing — to play on
  11. drill — the tool
  12. spell — magic
  13. rest — a break
  14. game — wild animals
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. game — a match
  18. rest — what's left
  19. tear — from crying
  20. swing — music
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — what's left
  23. tear — to rip
  24. game — a kind of play

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