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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · last · drill · mug · board · racket · field · firm

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. field — a subject
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — farmland
  7. drill — a practice
  8. board — to get on
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. last — to go on
  11. drill — army training
  12. mug — a cup
  13. field — for sport
  14. firm — decided
  15. board — a committee
  16. mug — to rob
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. mug — a face
  21. drill — the tool
  22. last — final
  23. firm — steady
  24. racket — a loud noise

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