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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — for digging
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mate — a partner
  5. file — a tool
  6. board — a committee
  7. mate — a friend
  8. drill — the tool
  9. file — a line of people
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. prune — to trim
  14. board — to get on
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. prune — to trim
  17. snap — to click
  18. mate — to breed
  19. file — a document
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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