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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mate — to breed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mate — a partner
  7. drill — army training
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. pop — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. pop — soda
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. toast — bread
  18. drill — a practice
  19. shower — to wash
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. mark — a grade

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