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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. pop — music
  3. last — to go on
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — soda
  6. drill — a practice
  7. wake — a trail
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. last — finally
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. last — final
  15. drill — army training
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — the underground
  18. perch — the fish
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mark — a trace

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