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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rock — a stone
  3. snap — to click
  4. drill — army training
  5. last — final
  6. fall — to drop
  7. last — to go on
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. field — farmland
  13. field — a subject
  14. rash — a series
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ball — a dance
  18. field — for sport
  19. rock — music
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. last — finally
  22. drill — the tool
  23. fall — to drop
  24. drill — a practice

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