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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. spell — a short time
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. drill — a practice
  7. spell — letters
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. bear — the animal
  10. roll — a list
  11. club — for dancing
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for golf
  14. spell — magic
  15. drill — the tool
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. drill — army training
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. roll — a cake

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