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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spell — letters
  5. current — electric
  6. file — a document
  7. kick — in football
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pop — music
  10. scale — in music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. pop — to visit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. spell — a short time
  17. current — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pop — soda
  22. current — happening now
  23. spell — magic
  24. hide — animal skin

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