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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. land — a country
  3. roll — a list
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. staff — employees
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. staff — employees
  15. roll — a cake
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. shower — rain
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. bat — the animal
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. staff — a stick

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