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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. file — a tool
  3. board — a committee
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rush — hurry
  6. file — a document
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. drill — army training
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. bore — to tire
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. drill — the tool
  17. pound — a weight
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. craft — a skill
  20. board — to get on
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — part of the body

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