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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 116 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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. content — happy
  5. land — ground
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. land — to come down
  8. cap — a lid
  9. rock — a stone
  10. squash — the sport
  11. rock — music
  12. cap — of ice
  13. content — the amount
  14. drill — a practice
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. pitch — completely
  24. cap — a hat

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