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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. rash — a series
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. ground — a position
  7. cold — an illness
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. drill — army training
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bass — the fish
  13. drill — the tool
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bass — low music
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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