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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  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. season — of the year
  2. bore — to tire
  3. rash — hasty
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. ball — a dance
  6. bore — to drill
  7. ball — a great time
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. wind — moving air
  13. season — in sport
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wind — moving air
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — a series
  19. shower — to wash
  20. board — a committee
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. shower — rain
  23. board — to get on
  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