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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 captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. hand — in cards
  3. court — for sport
  4. board — a committee
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bore — to drill
  7. hand — help
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. tear — to rip
  10. last — to go on
  11. file — a document
  12. court — of law
  13. file — a tool
  14. last — final
  15. tear — from crying
  16. file — a line of people
  17. tear — from crying
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. court — of a king
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bore — to tire
  24. last — finally

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