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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wind — moving air
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bass — the fish
  7. wind — moving air
  8. prune — to trim
  9. drill — the tool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. shower — rain
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bass — low music
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — the month
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. shower — to wash
  23. march — music
  24. prune — the fruit

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