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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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 — army training
  2. season — in sport
  3. drill — the tool
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. content — the amount
  11. board — to get on
  12. dip — to sink
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. board — a committee
  15. content — happy
  16. rock — music
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. shower — rain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. season — of the year
  23. shower — to wash
  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