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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. drill — army training
  3. pop — music
  4. net — for catching
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. roll — a list
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. net — after costs
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pop — to visit
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. fine — all right
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. drill — a practice
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. fine — high quality
  19. net — in sport
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. pop — soda
  23. roll — a cake
  24. drill — the tool

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