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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. fall — to drop
  3. last — to go on
  4. drill — the tool
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. last — finally
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — in sport
  14. drill — a practice
  15. last — final
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fall — the season
  19. ball — a great time
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. ball — a dance

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