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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. band — a music group
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. court — of a king
  5. rock — music
  6. shower — rain
  7. court — of law
  8. plane — a tool
  9. file — a tool
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — a stone
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. court — for sport
  19. band — a ring
  20. drill — army training
  21. shower — to wash
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. drill — the tool
  24. wave — of the sea

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