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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. spell — letters
  3. wound — an injury
  4. drill — a practice
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — in biology
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. pop — soda
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pop — music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. wound — an injury
  13. cell — a phone
  14. spell — magic
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. drill — army training
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. spell — a short time
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. pop — to visit
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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