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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. drill — a practice
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. snap — to click
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. content — the amount
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. capital — a city
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. capital — money
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. content — happy
  23. drill — army training
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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