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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chest — of your body
  3. prune — to trim
  4. board — to get on
  5. mug — to rob
  6. drill — army training
  7. chest — of your body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. drill — the tool
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. bat — the animal
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. prune — to trim
  16. board — a committee
  17. mug — a cup
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. mug — a face
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. band — a music group
  22. chest — a box
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. band — a ring

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