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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. drill — the tool
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. drill — a practice
  7. branch — a division
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cold — not warm
  11. rush — hurry
  12. shower — to wash
  13. game — a match
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. game — wild animals
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — army training
  18. ball — a dance
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. shower — rain
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. cold — an illness
  23. snap — to click
  24. rush — a thrill

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