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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: wound · bat · drill · season · can · last · fine · board

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. drill — the tool
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. season — in sport
  8. board — a committee
  9. board — to get on
  10. fine — high quality
  11. last — final
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. season — of the year
  14. can — to be able to
  15. last — finally
  16. can — a tin
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — to go on
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fine — all right
  22. can — a tin
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. drill — a practice

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