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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. wound — an injury
  3. current — happening now
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. track — a path
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fork — in a road
  17. current — electric
  18. mine — for digging
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. drill — army training
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. drill — a practice
  23. current — of water
  24. mine — an explosive

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