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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.

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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. wake — a trail
  2. mine — for digging
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. content — happy
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. content — the amount
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bass — the fish
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. squash — to crush
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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