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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — the amount
  4. can — to be able to
  5. object — to protest
  6. content — happy
  7. can — a tin
  8. band — a music group
  9. staff — employees
  10. drill — army training
  11. object — a thing
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — a short time
  18. drill — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. can — a tin
  21. staff — a stick
  22. object — an aim
  23. staff — employees
  24. spell — letters

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