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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. face — to point toward
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. face — part of the head
  8. drill — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. net — after costs
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. face — to confront
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bark — to shout
  22. net — in sport
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. net — for catching

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