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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. pass — a permit
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. stand — to bear
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. drill — army training
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. land — a country
  12. drill — a practice
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. shower — rain
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — ground
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. wax — to grow
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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