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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. drill — the tool
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. drill — a practice
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. bat — the animal
  8. lean — to bend
  9. drill — army training
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. roll — a cake
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. roll — a list
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bank — for money
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. lean — thin
  22. bank — for money
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bat — in an idiom

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