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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 120 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. drill — a practice
  3. last — finally
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. rock — music
  10. band — a ring
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. present — there
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. shower — rain
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. shower — to wash
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. drill — the tool
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rock — a stone
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. present — a gift
  24. present — the time now

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