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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. band — a music group
  7. court — of law
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lean — to bend
  10. band — a ring
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — thin
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. degree — an amount
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. wake — a trail
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. toast — bread
  19. staff — employees
  20. degree — temperature
  21. court — for sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. degree — from a university
  24. court — of a king

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