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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. board — a committee
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. content — the amount
  5. net — for catching
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. board — to get on
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. net — after costs
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kid — child
  13. content — happy
  14. kid — to tease
  15. drill — army training
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — in sport
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. temple — side of the head

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