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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. branch — a division
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. pop — music
  9. pass — a permit
  10. wound — an injury
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wound — an injury
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. pop — soda
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. drill — a practice

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