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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. drill — a practice
  3. board — a committee
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. net — after costs
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wind — moving air
  8. foot — a measure
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. drill — army training
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. net — for catching
  15. bore — to drill
  16. net — in sport
  17. wind — moving air
  18. board — to get on
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bore — to tire
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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