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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kid — child
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. kid — to tease
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. rule — government
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — of a river
  11. rule — a law
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bound — certain
  14. mark — a trace
  15. board — to get on
  16. drill — army training
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bank — for money
  23. drill — a practice
  24. mark — a grade

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