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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. roll — a list
  5. spring — a coil
  6. spring — the season
  7. stand — to bear
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spring — of water
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. rush — hurry
  14. net — in sport
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. game — a match
  17. rock — a stone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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