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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. bore — to tire
  5. cold — an illness
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. can — a tin
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. can — to be able to
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bore — to drill
  20. drill — the tool
  21. wind — moving air
  22. board — to get on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. drill — army training

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