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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. kid — to tease
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. kid — child
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wax — to grow
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. stand — to bear
  15. drill — the tool
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. drill — a practice
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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