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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. drill — the tool
  3. clip — to cut
  4. drill — army training
  5. degree — temperature
  6. last — final
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. last — to go on
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. board — to get on
  13. degree — from a university
  14. clip — a video
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. board — a committee
  19. drill — a practice
  20. clip — for paper
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. pitcher — a jug

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