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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mark — a grade
  3. land — a country
  4. roll — a list
  5. mark — a trace
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hand — help
  8. chest — a box
  9. roll — a cake
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. drill — army training
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. drill — the tool
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. chest — of your body
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — in cards
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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