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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. drill — a practice
  4. can — a tin
  5. tube — a container
  6. spell — a short time
  7. drill — army training
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. game — wild animals
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spell — magic
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. spell — letters
  17. drill — the tool
  18. rush — a thrill

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