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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. squash — the sport
  3. craft — boats
  4. drill — the tool
  5. content — the amount
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — for digging
  8. craft — a skill
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. squash — to crush
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — happening now
  16. file — a tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. file — a document
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — electric
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. content — happy
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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