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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're almost out of ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. object — to protest
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. drill — the tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. drill — a practice
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. drill — army training
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. pop — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. date — the fruit
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. date — on the calendar

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