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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. cue — a hint
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. drill — a practice
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cue — for pool
  8. field — farmland
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. drill — army training
  14. mine — for digging
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. field — for sport
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. wound — an injury
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. field — a subject

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