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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 felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. chest — of your body
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — a box
  6. drill — the tool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. ground — a position
  9. rush — hurry
  10. row — to paddle
  11. row — a line
  12. ground — crushed
  13. pop — music
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pop — soda
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — to visit
  22. drill — army training
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. bay — a horse colour

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