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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 120 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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. present — the time now
  3. present — a gift
  4. court — for sport
  5. drill — army training
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. pop — music
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. court — of a king
  11. spring — of water
  12. chip — to eat
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — a trail
  15. wax — to grow
  16. present — there
  17. spring — the season
  18. chip — for betting
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. pop — soda
  23. court — of law
  24. pop — to visit

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