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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 120 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bank — for money
  5. tube — a container
  6. board — to get on
  7. bore — to drill
  8. file — a line of people
  9. board — a committee
  10. net — after costs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. net — in sport
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. bore — to tire
  18. net — for catching
  19. bank — of a river
  20. drill — army training
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — a practice

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