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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: staff · pit · drill · nail · mug · fan · rush · board

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mug — a face
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. drill — army training
  6. staff — employees
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. rush — hurry
  10. drill — a practice
  11. board — a committee
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. staff — employees
  15. pit — a hole
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — a stick
  18. mug — a cup
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. drill — the tool
  21. board — to get on
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pit — in a race

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