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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fine — all right
  10. spell — a short time
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fork — in a road
  13. season — in sport
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. track — to keep track
  17. season — of the year
  18. drill — a practice
  19. spell — letters
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. drill — army training
  22. spell — magic
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. lash — to lash out

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