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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — the tool
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — army training
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. bound — certain
  9. shower — rain
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. content — happy
  16. bound — tied together
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — the amount
  19. shower — to wash
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mine — for digging
  24. content — videos and posts

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