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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — in cards
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. suit — clothes
  5. drill — the tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. drill — a practice
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cap — a lid
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. drill — army training
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a great time
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. cap — a hat
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cap — of ice
  24. tube — a container

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