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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. ground — crushed
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. drill — the tool
  6. rash — a series
  7. pop — to visit
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — employees
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rash — hasty
  15. staff — a stick
  16. ground — the earth
  17. drill — a practice
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — to come down
  21. ground — a position
  22. saw — the tool
  23. staff — employees
  24. coach — a trainer

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