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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — the tool
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pop — soda
  7. cap — a hat
  8. tear — from crying
  9. board — to get on
  10. current — happening now
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. tear — from crying
  15. pop — to visit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. current — electric
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pop — music
  20. drill — a practice
  21. current — of water
  22. staff — employees
  23. cap — of ice
  24. hide — animal skin

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