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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. drill — army training
  3. file — a tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cell — a phone
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — to crush
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. drill — a practice
  17. cell — in biology
  18. file — a document
  19. suit — clothes
  20. drill — the tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. saw — the tool
  24. suit — to fit

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