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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. shower — rain
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. bore — to drill
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pit — in a race
  11. shower — to wash
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. board — a committee
  17. toast — bread
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — for digging
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bore — to tire
  23. wax — to grow
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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