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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. toast — bread
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. snap — to click
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. drill — a practice
  9. rash — a series
  10. stem — to come from
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. drill — the tool
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rash — hasty

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