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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. drill — the tool
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. pop — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rush — hurry
  13. pop — to visit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. pop — soda
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. drill — a practice

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