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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. can — to be able to
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. drill — the tool
  7. drill — army training
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. clip — a video
  12. can — a tin
  13. field — for sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. clip — to cut
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. clip — for paper
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — a subject
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. field — farmland

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