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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. shower — to wash
  3. ball — a great time
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pop — soda
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — tied together
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. drill — a practice
  12. ball — a dance
  13. snap — to click
  14. toast — bread
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bound — certain
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bound — obliged
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. drill — the tool
  24. shower — rain

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