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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: row · mug · drill · object · bore · squash · date · board

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. drill — a practice
  4. object — to protest
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. object — an aim
  9. mug — to rob
  10. object — a thing
  11. drill — the tool
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. row — a line
  15. board — a committee
  16. mug — a face
  17. squash — to crush
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. bore — to tire
  20. date — the fruit
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. drill — army training
  24. bore — to drill

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