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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — help
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bulb — for light
  8. pop — to visit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. staff — employees
  13. pop — soda
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. mate — a partner
  18. pop — music
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — to trim
  22. mate — a friend
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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