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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 didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. bore — to tire
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. mug — a cup
  7. wake — a trail
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mug — to rob
  10. net — after costs
  11. ground — a position
  12. bound — obliged
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bound — certain
  17. net — in sport
  18. bound — tied together
  19. mug — a face
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bore — to drill
  22. net — for catching
  23. drill — a practice
  24. snap — to click

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