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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 has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. drill — the tool
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. bass — the fish
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — farmland
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. can — a tin
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — a subject
  16. bass — low music
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. dip — to sink
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. field — for sport
  21. drill — a practice
  22. court — of a king
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. drill — army training

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