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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. mug — to rob
  3. date — the fruit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mark — a grade
  6. mug — a face
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. mug — a cup
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rest — what's left
  15. wound — an injury
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — wild animals
  18. drill — a practice
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. drill — army training
  21. mark — a trace
  22. game — a match
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mark — to pay attention

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