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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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 — a stick
  2. drill — army training
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. net — in sport
  5. face — to confront
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. current — of water
  8. current — happening now
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. net — after costs
  11. bore — to tire
  12. face — to point toward
  13. current — electric
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. face — part of the head
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bore — to drill
  18. board — a committee
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. net — for catching
  21. board — to get on
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  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