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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. toast — the most admired
  2. bulb — for light
  3. drill — army training
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. net — in sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wake — a trail
  10. net — for catching
  11. squash — to crush
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. drill — the tool
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. net — after costs
  19. toast — bread
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. coach — a trainer
  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