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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: deal · bound · board · last · cap · mate · drill · fan

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. mate — a partner
  4. last — to go on
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. drill — army training
  8. bound — certain
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bound — tied together
  11. board — to get on
  12. cap — a lid
  13. drill — the tool
  14. last — finally
  15. mate — to breed
  16. deal — to handle
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mate — a friend
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bound — obliged
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cap — of ice
  23. board — a committee
  24. fan — a supporter

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