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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mark — a trace
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. kid — child
  11. game — a match
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. drill — the tool
  15. current — electric
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. drill — army training
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — to tease
  22. pop — soda
  23. current — of water
  24. pop — music

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