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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. cue — a signal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. spring — the season
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — magic
  9. drill — army training
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. cue — for pool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. ground — a position
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cue — a hint
  17. spring — a coil
  18. spell — letters
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — in biology
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. ground — crushed
  24. spring — of water

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