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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. ball — a great time
  6. drill — the tool
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. hand — help
  9. drill — a practice
  10. branch — a division
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. dip — to sink
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. present — the time now
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. present — there
  23. present — a gift
  24. ball — a dance

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