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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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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: drill · lean · present · degree · shower · face · board · last

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. shower — to wash
  3. degree — temperature
  4. face — to confront
  5. degree — from a university
  6. present — there
  7. face — part of the head
  8. board — to get on
  9. shower — rain
  10. drill — the tool
  11. lean — to bend
  12. present — the time now
  13. face — to point toward
  14. last — final
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. drill — a practice
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. present — a gift
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. degree — an amount
  21. last — to go on
  22. lean — thin
  23. board — a committee
  24. drill — army training

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