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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. cap — a hat
  4. board — to get on
  5. current — of water
  6. drill — the tool
  7. last — finally
  8. board — a committee
  9. cell — in biology
  10. last — to go on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — of ice
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bore — to tire
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. drill — army training
  19. bore — to drill
  20. mine — for digging
  21. last — final
  22. cell — a phone
  23. current — happening now
  24. current — electric

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