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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: spell · pit · drill · fan · roll · land · rest · board

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. roll — a list
  3. board — a committee
  4. land — ground
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — a hole
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. drill — army training
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. pit — in a race
  15. board — to get on
  16. land — to come down
  17. spell — letters
  18. land — a country
  19. spell — magic
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. drill — a practice
  22. rest — a break
  23. drill — the tool
  24. roll — a cake

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