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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. shower — rain
  10. shower — to wash
  11. drill — army training
  12. season — in sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. foot — a measure
  17. squash — the sport
  18. row — to paddle
  19. capital — a city
  20. capital — money
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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