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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. cap — a hat
  4. pop — music
  5. game — wild animals
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. cap — of ice
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. cap — a lid
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. pop — to visit
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. game — a match
  17. drill — army training
  18. rush — hurry
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pop — soda
  24. game — a kind of play

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