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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. saw — the tool
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. wake — a trail
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. net — after costs
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pop — to visit
  17. perch — the fish
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mark — a grade
  20. saw — the tool
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. net — for catching
  23. mark — a trace
  24. pop — soda

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