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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mark — a trace
  6. track — a song
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. season — of the year
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. drill — a practice
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. track — a path
  19. bass — the fish
  20. drill — army training
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. bass — low music
  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