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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. land — to come down
  5. land — a country
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. board — to get on
  8. degree — from a university
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. degree — temperature
  12. toast — bread
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. degree — an amount
  19. land — ground
  20. drill — a practice
  21. wax — to grow
  22. board — a committee
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wax — in the ear

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