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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: shower · board · snap · bore · fan · present · rule · drill

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. shower — to wash
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. rule — a law
  7. board — to get on
  8. present — the time now
  9. present — there
  10. bore — to tire
  11. drill — army training
  12. shower — rain
  13. board — a committee
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rule — government
  17. present — a gift
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. snap — to click
  24. rule — to rule out

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