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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. bank — for money
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — the tool
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bank — for money
  14. sharp — clever
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. mine — for digging
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. wind — moving air

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