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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mark — a trace
  4. drill — army training
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. net — for catching
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. can — to be able to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. drill — a practice
  13. wound — an injury
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. can — a tin
  18. ground — crushed
  19. can — a tin
  20. net — in sport
  21. ground — a position
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. ground — the earth
  24. drill — the tool

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