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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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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: board · hand · degree · pitcher · file · ball · staff · bore

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a tool
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. staff — a stick
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. board — to get on
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. hand — in cards
  12. degree — temperature
  13. ball — a dance
  14. hand — help
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bore — to tire
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. board — a committee
  21. file — a line of people
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. file — a document

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