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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 120 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mate — a partner
  4. spring — a coil
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. spring — of water
  10. club — for golf
  11. spring — the season
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. charge — in control
  15. row — a line
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mate — a friend
  20. club — a group
  21. row — to paddle
  22. drill — a practice
  23. mate — to breed
  24. drill — the tool

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