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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bore — to tire
  3. row — a line
  4. race — a contest
  5. drill — the tool
  6. spell — magic
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bore — to drill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. board — a committee
  18. spell — letters
  19. row — to paddle
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. race — the arms race
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. race — humankind
  24. drill — army training

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