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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — what's left
  5. bore — to drill
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. drill — army training
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rest — a break
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bark — to shout
  22. board — to get on
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. board — a committee

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