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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. drill — army training
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. pitch — completely
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. pound — a weight
  13. game — wild animals
  14. drill — a practice
  15. game — a match
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — size or range
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pound — to hit hard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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