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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. wound — an injury
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. ground — a position
  6. wound — an injury
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. shower — to wash
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ground — crushed
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. charge — in control
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. drill — army training
  20. charge — electricity
  21. shower — rain
  22. ground — the earth
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. charge — a price

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