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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: bay · racket · board · rush · cell · drill · last · date

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. board — a committee
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. last — final
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. drill — a practice
  13. date — the fruit
  14. last — to go on
  15. cell — in biology
  16. board — to get on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. rush — hurry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. last — finally
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — army training

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