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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. shower — to wash
  4. season — in sport
  5. spell — a short time
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. ball — a dance
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. spell — letters
  11. drill — army training
  12. ball — a great time
  13. spell — magic
  14. shower — rain
  15. pit — a hole
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pit — in a race
  19. stand — to bear
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. season — of the year
  22. rush — hurry
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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