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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. face — part of the head
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. file — a document
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. roll — a cake
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. file — a line of people
  14. face — to point toward
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. roll — a list
  18. file — a tool
  19. drill — the tool
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. drill — a practice
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. mine — for digging

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