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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. last — final
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pop — music
  9. chip — for betting
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pop — to visit
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. shower — to wash
  14. last — finally
  15. pop — soda
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. last — to go on
  19. drill — army training
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mug — a face
  22. shower — rain
  23. band — a ring
  24. mug — to rob

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