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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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 — the tool
  2. mark — a grade
  3. net — after costs
  4. shower — rain
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. spring — of water
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. drill — army training
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mark — a trace
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. spring — a coil
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. net — for catching
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mine — for digging
  22. spring — the season
  23. calf — a young animal
  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