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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. drill — army training
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a line of people
  6. bound — obliged
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. club — a group
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — for golf
  12. bound — tied together
  13. file — a document
  14. bound — certain
  15. drill — a practice
  16. file — a tool
  17. drill — the tool
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. hand — help

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