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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. drill — the tool
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. present — a gift
  11. bank — for money
  12. drill — army training
  13. ball — a great time
  14. present — the time now
  15. drill — a practice
  16. cold — not warm
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bank — of a river
  24. present — there

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