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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. hand — in cards
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. season — of the year
  7. drill — army training
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. drill — the tool
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — a practice
  19. mark — a grade
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. season — in sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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