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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. band — a music group
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. cell — a phone
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. net — in sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cell — in biology
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. net — for catching
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. net — after costs
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. band — a ring
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. drill — a practice

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