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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. file — a tool
  3. file — a document
  4. game — a match
  5. game — wild animals
  6. prune — to trim
  7. drill — the tool
  8. drill — army training
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rush — hurry
  12. snap — to click
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. mug — a face
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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