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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — a position
  3. staff — a stick
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. saw — the tool
  6. deal — to handle
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. snap — to click
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. kid — child
  13. drill — a practice
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. drill — the tool
  19. saw — the tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. staff — employees
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. kid — to tease
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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