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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. club — for dancing
  4. roll — a list
  5. lean — to bend
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. rock — music
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. game — a match
  12. club — a group
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. club — for golf
  16. roll — a cake
  17. lean — thin
  18. drill — army training
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — a stone
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. drill — a practice
  24. game — wild animals

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