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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 116 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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hand — help
  4. wound — an injury
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rash — a series
  8. wound — an injury
  9. land — ground
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cue — a signal
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fine — all right
  16. cue — for pool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — to come down
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — hasty
  24. drill — a practice

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