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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 124 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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. field — a subject
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. field — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rock — music
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — the tool
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. field — farmland
  18. dip — to sink
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. drill — a practice
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rock — a stone
  24. wind — to turn a key

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