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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. drill — the tool
  3. rock — a stone
  4. ground — crushed
  5. cold — an illness
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ground — a position
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. bank — for money
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ground — the earth
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bank — of a river
  17. pass — a permit
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bank — for money
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. drill — army training
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. cold — not warm

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