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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. board — to get on
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. season — of the year
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — army training
  11. hand — help
  12. tear — from crying
  13. staff — employees
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. board — a committee
  17. season — in sport
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. hand — in cards
  20. wake — a trail
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. tear — from crying
  23. staff — a stick
  24. drill — the tool

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