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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cold — not warm
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. drill — the tool
  6. board — to get on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. land — ground
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. bore — to tire
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. mug — to rob
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. mug — a face
  19. cold — an illness
  20. bore — to drill
  21. land — a country
  22. mug — a cup
  23. board — a committee
  24. land — to come down

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