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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — the tool
  3. scale — in music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. clip — a video
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. squash — to crush
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. drill — army training
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. scale — size or range
  15. clip — for paper
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. roll — a cake
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. roll — a list

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