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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. drill — the tool
  3. squash — the sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. squash — to crush
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. deal — to handle
  10. drill — a practice
  11. file — a document
  12. drill — army training
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — a permit
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a tool
  24. pit — in a race

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