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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. board — a committee
  4. rule — a law
  5. field — farmland
  6. bore — to drill
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. field — for sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — for digging
  12. bore — to tire
  13. field — a subject
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. board — to get on
  17. band — a ring
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. band — a music group
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rule — government

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