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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. drill — the tool
  3. current — happening now
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. current — electric
  6. current — of water
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. clip — for paper
  9. clip — to cut
  10. drill — a practice
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. fine — high quality
  13. band — a ring
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. fine — all right
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. clip — a video
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. stem — to come from
  23. band — a music group
  24. drill — army training

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