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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. board — a committee
  3. drill — a practice
  4. scale — in music
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. drill — the tool
  11. hand — help
  12. rush — hurry
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. drill — army training
  15. kick — in football
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. ball — a dance
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. board — to get on
  24. scale — size or range

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