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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bass — the fish
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — happy
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. drill — army training
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. bass — low music
  17. content — the amount
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. drill — a practice
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. cabinet — ministers

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