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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rest — what's left
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rash — a series
  5. club — for golf
  6. rest — what's left
  7. club — a group
  8. rash — hasty
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rest — a break
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. ground — the earth

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