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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. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bore — to drill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. board — to get on
  8. wake — a trail
  9. march — the month
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. dip — to sink
  12. march — the month
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bore — to tire
  15. mine — for digging
  16. lean — thin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. lean — to bend
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. march — music
  24. bore — gave birth

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