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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: chest · bore · present · current · drill · chair · mark · spell

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. chest — a box
  3. chair — a leader
  4. current — happening now
  5. spell — letters
  6. present — a gift
  7. mark — a trace
  8. present — there
  9. current — of water
  10. spell — magic
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. present — the time now
  14. bore — to tire
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — a practice
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. chest — of your body
  21. current — electric
  22. bore — to drill
  23. spell — a short time
  24. drill — the tool

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