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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. net — after costs
  3. wake — a trail
  4. squash — the sport
  5. shower — to wash
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. pop — music
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. squash — to crush
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — certain
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pop — to visit
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. bound — obliged
  19. net — for catching
  20. bound — tied together
  21. drill — the tool
  22. net — in sport
  23. pop — soda
  24. drill — a practice

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